The Origins of Pro-Bending
by Seyary-Minamoto
Summary: On how Pro-Bending was first created, by our well known characters from A:TLA while they deal with other personal issues as well. Sokkla, Kataang, Maiko, Harulee. Takes place after The Search. Sequel to "The Reason". Not an AU.
1. 1: To Master All Four Elements

_So here it is, my first Avatar related Fanfic! ^^ this fic takes place after The Search, but I won't delve too much into whatever happened there, since I have no idea of what they found out about Ursa… therefore I'm not going to mention much about her! I don't plan on dragging this one too much, since it merely was an idea based on the creation of Pro-Bending, and the idea of having Aang fight his own Pro-Bending match… Anyhow, just read it, you'll find out everything you want to know while you scroll down this little fic ^^ Sorry if it's too long, I tend to ramble on since I don't feel like I can handle characters, they're pretty much free to do whatever they want, I merely nudge them in the right direction xD_

_In matters of pairings, it's a Kataang, Maiko, Sokkla/Azukka/Sozula (don't know the official name for this ship), Tyru/Ty Laru sort of odd fic XD haven't paired anyone up with Toph because I'm not sure of who'd be good enough for her! Still, romance ain't the center of this little fic XD So yeah, this must be taking place around 2 or 3 years after the original series… and I guess that's it! I hope you like it! ^^_

Zuko wasn't particularly excited while he walked all the way to the chamber he'd been summoned to. He was Fire Lord Zuko, and he did not appreciate his sister requesting his presence as if she were the sovereign of the Fire Nation. At times he wondered if letting her out of the Mental Hospital was a bad idea, but after traveling throughout the entire world while searching for their mother, she'd regained a great deal of her usual self, which was a good omen, since it meant she was getting healthier, but all the usual bossy attitude came back all the same as her sanity, despite Zuko's wishes. As he approached the room he sighed slightly, wondering what to expect when he entered… she wouldn't try to overthrow him now, would she?

He was pleasantly surprised at seeing most of his friends inside the room, it probably meant there wasn't much danger to expect from Azula on this occasion. Aang sat next to Katara on a very comfortable couch, Ty Lee was lying across a red divan and Mai was standing next to her. Toph immediately stopped leaning against the left wall of the room at the instant he arrived and greeted him by holding her hand up. Zuko nodded at her and stared directly at the woman who sat comfortably on a throne-like seat, opposite to the door. To his slight disgust, Sokka was smiling stupidly at Azula, who smirked when she finally caught sight of her brother.

"Well, it was about time you showed up. Being so late to an appointment does not speak highly of your performance as Fire Lord, Zuzu" she mocked him, in the same way she always did, the way that made him lose his nerve at her.

"I got here as soon as I could. Besides, it's not as if you could just get away with summoning me anywhere just because you want to"

"You say that, yet you're here. It seems I got away with it alright"

"Azula…" grunted Zuko, snarling at his sister

"Keep your peace, will you?" said Mai, walking towards him "You've been controlling your temper very well lately, haven't you? Don't get carried away by everything she says, please"

Azula wasn't pleased to hear Mai speaking of her as if she were nothing but a misbehaved child. After her betrayal, it'd been especially hard to forgive her; it hadn't been so difficult with Ty Lee, they were definitely best friends and she'd genuinely been sorry to see how everything had fallen apart between the three of them. Mai, on the other hand, would hardly ever talk to Azula directly and never professed any particular regret at the way their friendship had been strained. Azula knew she wasn't to expect an apology from Mai, but somehow she wouldn't be able to say sorry herself; she knew her temper and angst had gotten the best of her when she'd thrown her friends in jail, but her pride was still strong and she'd never bow down to anyone, especially while knowing that apologizing to Mai would hold no meaning, since the girl clearly didn't care for their friendship anymore. Still, to summon Zuko anywhere meant she'd come too, so Azula had simply sent her a note about the meeting, with the simple purpose of avoiding any extra issues with her if she dared walk in uninvited.

"Fine" grunted Zuko, while Mai took hold of his hand "Well, why did you call us all here? Do you have anything important to say?"

"Indeed" muttered Azula "I believe there are some issues we need to tend to. I was recently reading some scrolls related to the Avatar cycle and all its customs… and I was wondering, did you know the Avatar is supposed to pass a test of mastery of each element?"

All of the occupants of the room stared at her, dumbfounded.

"W-why are you bringing this up right now?" asked Aang, surprised

"Because I'm not entirely sure if you're actually a master of all elements, little Avatar" replied Azula, smirking at him

"Hey! I beat down Firelord Ozai!" exclaimed Aang "Why would you need further proof of my skills?"

"It's merely for the purpose of making everything official, little Avatar" said Azula "I'd rather you play by the rules than by saying you're a full-fledged Avatar only because you defeated my father"

"But he did beat him" said Katara, staring at her with outraged eyes "And while Sozin's Comet was carrying out its effects, which made your father much stronger; Aang defeated him while using the four elements, and also energybending. What else could you possibly ask for? What exactly are you plotting this time, Azula?"

"All of what you said is true" admitted Azula "But there's a small detail you seem to have missed: he performed all of that while in the Avatar State, did he not?"

The whole group fell into silence once more, most of them wondering what Azula was getting at, but Aang frowned slightly. He hadn't known much about the Avatar customs, but he was fully aware that his skills were supposed to be tested by a master bender of each element by the time he was considered strong enough to stand a fight against the most talented benders. He also understood that he wasn't supposed to recur to the Avatar State unless it was absolutely necessary, and total mastery of the elements was a must for the Avatar.

"Still…" muttered Aang "What exactly am I supposed to do? I'm pretty good already, aren't I? Do you think my bending still need much more work?"

"As I've said, your earthbending isn't at its best just yet" said Toph, shrugging "But I don't understand why are you bringing this up now, Azula. What are you after?"

"I merely wished to convey this issue to the little Avatar" said Azula "And recommend you to take a test against the greatest masters of all elements as soon as possible. That was all I had in mind"

Zuko stared at her in disbelief. He knew his sister much better than that, she had to hold an ulterior motive to suggesting something like this.

"And what's your idea?" asked Zuko "You want him to fight masters of all elements, is that all there is to it?"

"What else could there be?" wondered Azula, staring at him with slight irritation "Your distrust of me is getting annoying, if you want me to be frank. Even when I try to help your gang you treat me as if I were a criminal. What could I possibly gain by having the Avatar fighting bending masters?"

"Maybe you're trying to get him killed" accused Katara without any sugarcoating.

"Hey!" exclaimed Sokka, who had remained silent during the whole meeting "Don't say something like that without any proof at all!"

"You want proof? She's been after Aang for all this time, and she probably wants to execute revenge on him after losing everything because of him" grunted Katara

"Funny you say that, Water Tribe brat" answered Azula "If I were to take revenge on anyone, it'd be on you. You were the one to freeze me and chain me, or is your memory failing you already at such young age?"

Katara couldn't help clenching her fists. She knew Azula wasn't the same as back during the times of Fire Lord Ozai, but she probably annoyed her even more nowadays.

"I am not attempting to hurt the Avatar" said Azula, sighing dramatically "I merely want to help. I know how unbelievable it is for most of you, since I know most of you despise me and believe I'm absolutely unchanged. Maybe you're not entirely wrong, but a part of me has changed. The Avatar helped me and Zuko figure out the truth about Mother, you could see my actions as a way to thank him for what he did"

"All that's fine, Azula" said Ty Lee, while lifting her legs above her head in one of her usual stretch out routines "But who will test Aang? And how, exactly?"

"That's the reason you're all here. I figured you'd all want to help the Little Avatar out to find out how to reaffirm in a more official manner his status as a master of all four elements"

The entire group fell silent for a moment, but Sokka interrupted it after a while

"All he needs is to battle out and beat the masters of all four elements, right?" he asked "Well, it's pretty simple! Have him fight the best benders of each type and that's it!"

Azula frowned.

"I don't believe that's all there is to it, Sokka" she muttered "If he were faced by a very powerful firebender, for instance, he might go into the Avatar State"

"Well, I can avoid doing that" said Aang

"I doubt it" replied Azula "If he fights with all his will and you find yourself cornered, you'd fight back with anything you've got, and that means Avatar State. You're supposed to be in complete control of yourself while undergoing these tests, or so I believe, and you must only use the same element the master's proficient at"

"But that's no fun" commented Toph "I'd best Twinkle Toes in a heartbeat if he can't use his airbending"

"Actually, there's another problem with that" added Zuko "He could be tested by masters on Waterbending, Earthbending and Firebending, but there are no Airbending masters left"

"Well, technically I wouldn't need one" admitted Aang, with a crooked smile "My tattoos are proof of my mastery on Airbending, so I don't have to fight anyone to prove I'm a master Airbender. In fact, I'm the youngest person ever to master it. Cool, huh?"

"No need to brag, Little Avatar" said Azula "Well, that's one element down, then. How about the other three?"

"Why not pull off one test with all the three elements?" asked Ty Lee out of the blue, surprising the others.

"What?" said Azula, staring at her in confusion "How exactly…?"

"It's not a bad idea, actually" said Sokka, smiling slightly "It could work out wonders! That way Aang could prove his mastery on the three remaining elements while fighting only using those! Airbending would be ruled out, sure, but he'd still have the chance to fight off with the other three"

"I'm a little lost here, guys…" admitted Aang

"Don't worry, I'll deal with this myself! I've got a great idea coming up!" exclaimed Sokka, with a broad smile.

Azula stared at him with some distrust at first, but she shrugged afterwards.

"Do as you wish. But make sure to tell me whatever you're plotting first, alright?"

"What about telling ME?" asked Aang, a little worried "It won't be a pop quiz of some sort, or will it?"

"Of course not" denied Sokka "Don't worry; I'll brief you all before we go for it! But first… no matter what we do, you need three masters of each art, don't you? Who'll be the ones testing you?"

Azula frowned and stared at Katara at first.

"I believe we can trust little Miss Water Tribe to be the Waterbending Master, but she'd better give this her all; any hesitation could ruin the whole test, since the idea is the make sure the Little Avatar has what's required. If she promises she won't let her feelings get in the way, I'd say she's the best choice for that role"

"Well?" asked Sokka "Are you going to go all sweet and loving on him, or will you fight like a man?"

Katara stared at her brother without attempting to hide the contempt on her face. He was a great brother alright, but he got on her nerves with so much ease that it made her want to freeze him for a day or two to make sure he'd quit being such a jerk.

"I'll fight like a Waterbending Master, thank you very much" she muttered, teeth clenched "And I'd better not fight like a man, because every time you say something of the sort you get beaten down in seconds, don't you?"

Sokka felt a twinge of irritation, but he sighed and stared at Azula, trying not to let his sister's words get to him.

"Well, she's all in for it"

"The Earthbending Master should be the Blind Bandit, I believe we all agree to that. She surely wouldn't go easy on the Little Avatar" said Azula, staring at Toph, who smiled at her words.

"Oh, yeah! I'll make sure he gets the Earthbending showdown of his life!"

Aang swallowed. He knew Toph really well by now, but he was sure she would do everything in her power to trash him with her amazing skills; she was the greatest earthbender of the world, no doubt about that.

"And who'd be the Firebending Master…?" asked Sokka, staring at Azula with interest.

Naturally, everyone in the room expected her to smirk and claim herself the most adequate person to take upon testing the Avatar. And indeed, she smirked.

"Oh, I believe a very powerful and strong firebender has to take such important honor… And since he still must be at odds about his old lost honor, why not you, Zuzu?"

"W-what?!" said Zuko, absolutely surprised "W-wait a minute, why me? Why not you?"

"I'd rather have you do it" said Azula "I have no idea of what Sokka's plotting, but I rather doubt those two girls would want me on their team. You three have worked together before, you can do it again, or can't you?"

Zuko eyed his sister with distrust. He knew she'd changed, but to give up an opportunity to prove her first-rate skills as a firebender, not to mention a chance to beat up Aang, was something extremely rare. Was she really after something, or had she actually become someone different in the inside?

"Why, though…? I don't get it" claimed Zuko and Azula rolled her eyes.

"You're so dumb. How hard is it to believe I have no other ulterior motive?"

"Well, you're not exactly known to be the most honest person out there" said Katara "People even call you Master of Lies"

"Master of Flies?" asked Ty Lee, confused

"She said Lies, not Flies" grunted Mai, staring at her friend with slight irritation

"I'm not hiding anything this time, honestly" said Azula "You could even say I've undergone a 'change of heart' or something along those lines"

"Well, I believe her" said Toph, shrugging "It sure doesn't seem like she's lying to me. Besides, what exactly would she gain from this? Not to mention, Sokka's the one who'll be doing the plans, not her"

"She could have had some influence on him by now, for all we know" muttered Katara bitterly

"C'mon, Katara" said Sokka, crossing his arms "You really think I'll let a girl change me that easily? I'm the one who'd be changing them instead!"

"Or so I'd have you believe" claimed Azula, smirking cruelly

"W-what?! Hey! Don't make my argument invalid! You should be siding with me here, I'm trying to defend you!"

"I doubt it's really necessary" said Azula "Your sister has a very bad image of me, and I doubt your words will be able to change that. Rather, you're actually making it look as if I'd brainwashed you somehow"

"You haven't brainwashed me, darn it!" exclaimed Sokka, losing his patience "Urgh, I'll just go make my plans, you all can stay here and bad-mouth me for all I care! And to think I'm trying to help you all…"

With that claim he exited the room while walking in his usual exaggerated style, and Azula shook her head, but couldn't refrain from smiling slightly.

"Well, I believe there's not much more to deal with for now. If we need anything else, I'll send you all another message" she said, standing up in a signal of dismissing the group "But I do suggest you get some training done, Little Avatar; there's no way to know what sort of demented idea is in Sokka's head by now"

Aang nodded and stood up as well, leaving the room with Katara right after the rest of the group had left, who didn't seem at all convinced after all the discussion they'd just undergone.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" asked Aang, a little worried.

"I am, but… are you sure she's not lying yet again? I can't trust her, no matter what you all say…"

"You managed to forgive Zuko, didn't you?" asked Aang "Why is it so hard to forgive her too?"

"I don't know, Aang… I just can't forget about all the things she did to us back then. Zuko did seem like he'd changed, but she still feels the same to me…"

"But Sokka's absolutely sure she's changed" said Aang "Why don't you believe him instead?"

"Sokka's been totally blinded by love, Aang" muttered Katara "Well, if that's actually love. It seems more like a one-sided obsession or something"

"Are you guys talking about me?" asked Toph, staring at them from ahead

"What gave you that idea?" said Aang, smiling

"You said someone's blind" grunted Toph

"No, no, it's a different kind of blindness" said Katara "It's Sokka's, actually"

"Why do you think he's blind? Is it because he's with Azula?" asked Toph "I think he's really in love with her… actually, she seems to rather like him too. Whenever he spoke I could feel her pulse accelerating"

"W-woah… really?!" asked Aang

"But she doesn't even seem to treat him like anything other than another peasant or whatever it is she always says others are…" said Katara, absolutely surprised after Toph's comment.

"Maybe that's the way it seems on the outside" said Toph, smiling "Behind the curtains she might actually be a different person"

"Well, as Sokka himself said back when we didn't want Zuko in… I'd rather wait until she's a different person outside as well" grunted Katara, crossing her arms.

Aang sighed and shrugged. He knew better than to argue with the girl, she was pretty stubborn when it came down to anything concerning Azula. Maybe in time she'd be able to accept the Fire Princess… but then again, there were other things to be worried about. What exactly could Sokka have come up with? Would it be a really hard test? He didn't know the answer to those questions at the moment, and there was only one thing he could do for now: train with all his might until the day of the infamous test came knocking on his door.


	2. 2: Setting the Rules

_In a surprisingly quick update, here's part 2! ^^ hopefully I managed to keep both the characters as canon as possible . anyhow, here it goes! ^^ Quite a Sokkla chappie here ^^_

Despite having stormed out in that manner, Sokka didn't wander off too far. He walked towards a room he knew very well, since it pretty much was Azula's favorite hideout. She had her personal room, of course, but she enjoyed spending time in this particular chamber, where there were numerous scrolls and maps, which she used at times for the sole purpose of making strategic wars against herself. Lately, though, Sokka was her opponent at those war simulations, and as much as a good strategist he was, she had bested him in nearly every opportunity; the current score was 17-2, on Azula, of course.

Sokka sat in front of a table while pondering about the test Aang had to pull off. The real reason why he'd made it seem his temper had gotten the best of him was because he had needed to run away from the meeting while his ideas were still fresh in his mind. He didn't know if Azula would get mad to see him sliding into this particular room without even bothering to ask her if it he could use it so lightly, but he wasn't afraid of the girl anymore. The two of them had grown very close right after she'd finished her life-changing trip with her brother; Sokka happened to spend lots of time in the Fire Nation Palace, and she enjoyed annoying him greatly every time she got the chance to do so. That is until the day Sokka saw her standing in the very place where her Agni Kai against Zuko had taken place: she had shown a very different side of herself right then, and Sokka realized the only thing Azula needed was someone she could trust completely, someone she could see as an equal and someone brave enough to question her without fearing her. It had been a rough ride, including several episodes that Sokka wasn't too proud of, but she'd fallen slowly into him, just as he'd become interested in her. As for Suki, she'd seen the way the two of them spent so much time together, and she'd realized that Sokka was drifting away from her. After a very sincere talk, they broke up and both continued on with their lives, and Sokka pursued Azula openly, to his sister's and her brother's dismay. Clearly, neither Katara nor Zuko agreed at all to this relationship, but nor Sokka nor Azula cared about anyone else's opinion at this point.

And so, without further ado, they'd gotten together around four months ago. They had several fights very often, and most of them ended up with Sokka apologizing afterwards, but the bond between them was very deep, it wasn't only about love, but about trust and understanding as well….

Sokka shook his head. This wasn't the time to reminisce about his happy relationship with his girlfriend; he had very important things to work on! But at the very moment he stretched out a long blank scroll, someone opened the room's door and strode in.

Sokka didn't even need to have Toph's skills to recognize Azula's footsteps; the way she walked was extremely easy to notice: always striking the floor down with powerful strides, as if showing the floor who was boss.

"I figured I'd find you here" muttered Azula "What are those great ideas of yours, if I may ask?"

"Uh… it's not very easy to explain" replied Sokka "It's a little… HEY! Wait a minute! Won't I get an apology for you?"

"Why exactly would I apologize to you?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow

"Y-you pretty much embarrassed me out there! What's with that nonsense of brainwashing me?" Sokka exclaimed, while staring at her with resentment

"Oh, please. Even you would have believed I would have had to brainwash someone for them to be with me a couple years back, wouldn't you?"

"W-well, maybe… But I know you now, and you should start letting others know you as well. You're not nearly half as bad as you act like when you're around them"

"Whatever" grunted Azula, but then she sighed and looked away, nervously "You're not really mad about that, are you?"

Sokka sighed and shrugged dramatically

"Maybe not… but if you give me a little flaming love I might forget about it quickly"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure to strike your head with enough force to have you forgetting about everything that's happened during these four months if you keep up with that attitude" she muttered, staring at him with evident irritation.

Sokka laughed slightly and pointed at the seat next to his

"Come on, let's get this crazy test thing going" he said, while taking a brush and dipping it in ink.

Azula found herself obeying him without a second thought, and right when she was about to snap at him and inform him that she wasn't to be told what to do, she'd already sat right beside him.

"Okay, first off I think we should have a field of some sort" said Sokka, while drawing a strange oval shaped figure on the scroll "And it should be split in two, I guess. The left one can be Aang's side, and the right one is where the other three will fight from"

"So it'll deal with range, won't it?" asked Azula "It doesn't seem like a small stage to me"

"No, I don't want it to be too small, actually" replied Sokka "The thing is, we need to have water and rocks in the stage somehow… but not mixed up, of course. Mud, steam and whatever other mix of elements there is should be banned"

"You're setting up some rules, aren't you? I'm surprised" admitted Azula "I thought this would be a wild fight, but that is a very good way to make sure they only use elements in their most pure form"

"That's the way it should be" said Sokka, smiling slightly "Aang's not going to get a degree of steambending now, is he?"

Azula couldn't suppress a small giggle. Back when they'd been at Ember Island she'd learnt from Ty Lee she should laugh at everything boys said to catch their attention, even if it wasn't funny. But with Sokka, nearly everything was funny. As a matter of fact, whenever she was mad at him she had to stop herself from laughing somehow, and most of the time she wouldn't be able to hold back a hysterical fit of laughter due to his silly jokes.

"Anyway, I guess those are the rules we should establish…"said Sokka "But the problem I've got is with water and earth. I don't want to make the stage with usable earth, Toph would crush it and beat everyone up immediately…"

"You need to set the parameters of the stage, in that case. And rocks must be available somewhere else" she suggested

"What about… having rocks at the sides of the stage, like this?" said Sokka, drawing huge pillars of rocks at each side of the stage.

Azula frowned, not entirely convinced.

"I don't like it. The idea of having a stage is to keep everything within it, rocks shouldn't be accessed from the outside, and neither should water, for that matter. Fire doesn't pose as a problem, since the fire's source is the bender himself; but the other two elements need to be available, and also out of the way"

Sokka frowned and forced his head with all his might. A solution had to be out there somewhere, somehow…

"Within it, you said… We should keep everything within the stage, right?" repeated Sokka, grinning

"Yes, that is what I said" muttered Azula "Wasn't I clear enough, or are you growing deaf all of sudden?"

"Don't be silly, I asked again because I think I've got the answer!" he exclaimed, jumping up "But first…"

"Yes?" said Azula, staring at him directly.

Sokka flashed her a guilty smile and bent his body in an odd way, flexing his legs slightly

"C-can I have a potty break?"

Azula couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she ought to be used already to Sokka's sudden urges to use the bathroom in the most unexpected of times. She waved her hand in the door's direction, impatiently

"Go quickly before I decide to burn your pants off. Why do you always do that?"

"It's not really intentional, I swear…" he whined, while skipping in a very ridiculous way towards the door.

"Don't take too long!" she yelled right after he'd gone right by the door.

Azula sighed and shook her head, baffled at Sokka's terrible timing. She stared for a while at the drawing in front of her while thinking deeply of the rules they should set out. Of course it wasn't entirely adequate to set down too many limitations… but then again, why not? A sly smirk showed up in her face while she started to ponder the real meaning of being a Master Bender…

"Woah, I really had to go" said Sokka while re-entering the room "So, my idea was…"

"Limits!" exclaimed Azula, jumping up from her seat and surprising Sokka

"W-what…?" said Sokka, staring at her without understanding at all what she meant with that scream

"That's it! The real point of this test isn't to see if he's able to move mountains through earthbending, or to burn down the world with firebending nor to move oceans with waterbending! A real master will be able to withstand limitations and rules, to fight properly despite them all, or more likely, to fight properly using them all for his own convenience."

"Then… you think limitations are a good idea? Aang probably wouldn't want too many restraints on him…" muttered Sokka

"Who cares about what he wants? We're the ones who are supposed to set all of this up; he has nothing to do other than follow our indications"

"Meaning… if I say he's not allowed to go all lovey-dovey with my sister, I could get away with it?" asked Sokka

"That's ridiculous, Sokka" said Azula "How lovey-dovey could he be if he'll be facing off against her? The only limits you can impose on him will be on anything that concerns this particular test, outside the arena he's free to snuggle with her as much as he wants"

"B-but I don't want him snuggling… Wait, arena?" repeated Sokka "Nice one there… this is an arena! The field where this test will take place will be called arena!"

"Brilliant" said Azula "Can we get on more important things now?"

"Uh, sure…" said Sokka, with an uncomfortable smile on his face "What limitations were you thinking of?"

"Well, judging by what you said about steambending, I believe the Avatar and his opponents are to only use the purest expression of the elements, meaning no Metalbending, Bloodbending or Lightningbending"

"That I can agree to" said Sokka "But I doubt Katara would have wanted to bloodbend Aang…"

"Maybe this could transcend beyond the Avatar's test somehow" said Azula "People could use this same format to fight a fair battle of bending with three types of bending on each team…"

"That doesn't sound half bad, Azula… but I think we're going too far" said Sokka, putting his hands on her shoulders "Maybe you're right, and maybe this could go beyond what we expect, but for now let's just focus on Aang's test, okay?"

Azula sighed and shrugged his hands off

"As you wish. Anyhow, you had an idea as of how to deal with the rocks and water supply, right?"

"Yes! I have a great idea!" he yelled, jumping towards the scroll again "The stage should be held up somehow, above a huge pit, maybe… below there will be a huge water supply, from where the waterbenders get all the water they'll need, and within the stage there will be holes in which the rocks and stones will be kept. Toph can just raise them from the ground and use them to strike Aang!"

"I doubt she'll be pleased about this new development, but it is only fair" said Azula "She can't be allowed to bend the stage in itself, nor can Zuko burn it up… and your sister can't freeze the floor either, it could be dangerous somehow…"

"Then no ice, that's alright… maybe the stage could be made of metal somehow" muttered Sokka "We won't allow any metalbending, so it could be done…"

"It sounds like a plan" admitted Azula "Does the Little Avatar know how to make ice?"

"Of course he does" said Sokka

"Then there'll be no need to test that side of his abilities" declared Azula "But I'm not very big about using the water from the lower pit you mentioned just a second ago…"

Sokka had been drawing out his ideas on the stage he'd envisioned on the scroll. Azula took the brush from him and drew five lines which divided the stage in three factions.

"There could be small sewers like this, similar to the grates that run in the Palace, the ones your sister used to trap me back during my Agni Kai against Zuko" said Azula "Water should be running through them, and that way there will be water as well as rock within the stage, ensuring that all that can be used will be inside the arena itself, see?"

"That's a good idea, actually" muttered Sokka, thoughtful "And the rocks should be within some long tubes or something, on each section…" and he drew small circlets within all the divisions of the stage.

Azula frowned and stared at what Sokka had drawn, deep in thought.

"And exactly what kinds of rocks will be within this?" she inquired "It's very unclear"

"Well, how many rock types are there?" asked Sokka, confused "Aren't you looking too closely at every little thing…?"

"I have to look closely at little things, because it's more than clear that you won't do so" she replied, surprising him

"H-hey! I do care about tiny details!"

"No, you don't care enough. That's the reason why I always beat you whenever we battle on the map" she said, smirking "I do admit your strategies aren't bad most of the time, but you're too careless in many aspects, and that leaves you far too open to be attacked by your opponent"

Sokka stared at her with slight annoyance, but he shook his head yet again

"Fine, fine, I'm not a good enough strategist, Your Royal Highness is superior in every way…"

"I'm glad we've settled that" said Azula, without even bothering to erase the cruel satisfaction evident on her face "Now, back to this matter… Earthbenders can bend every type of rock, but some of them, if too heavy, might not be easy to manipulate. Also, it would be helpful if all the rocks are the same size and shape"

"Now that's something Toph won't like at all" Sokka muttered, smiling uncomfortably "All of them will be exactly the same?"

"But they'll be very compact stones, perfect to strike your opponent with a full physical blow" added Azula "Granted she won't be too jolly about this, but it's the best way to make sure she fights within the assigned rules"

"And how exactly would we get those stones, if I may ask?" said Sokka, crossing his arms

"High level earthbenders might help us with that" suggested Azula "They could take piles of earth and compress them, forming heavy rocks with the same shape, rocks that no mediocre earthbender could use to attack his opponent. Only a real master would be able to use one of these"

"And which shape would that be?" asked Sokka, slightly confused

Azula took the brush again and drew a circle on the corner of the scroll, adding on it a small square in its very center

"There. This should be the standard figure of all rocks used in this duel" she declared, grinning at her work.

"Sure… but what exactly is this figure?" asked Sokka, staring at it intently "A cylinder, perhaps?"

"It would be more of a disk" decided Azula "It would have a thickness of about two inches or so, I believe. The edges shouldn't be too sharp; the disk could cause too much damage if they were"

"So exactly how much damage are we trying to get done here?" asked Sokka, confused "I mean, what is our objective with all of this? How would Aang win, or how would the others win…?"

"Interesting question…" admitted Azula, staring at the drawing thoughfully.

"Well… Since everything seems to be so limited…" said Sokka, sitting again in front of the scroll "Why don't we make this slightly simple? Whoever falls off the arena loses, and that's it"

"But the Little Avatar would have to beat three people down" muttered Azula "It sounds like the others would have a better chance to best him if we went for that"

"And you want to give him that chance?" asked Sokka, surprised "We want to see if he's better than them, what better test that this? Take the three of them on and push them through the back of the ring"

"Only the back?" asked Azula "And what about the sides?"

"Nah, it's harder to blow someone off by the ends of the arena" said Sokka, smiling.

"It does seem fitting somehow…" admitted Azula, staring at the drawing intently "And how do we prevent them from falling off by the sides?"

"We would have to put up some kind of fence, I guess" said Sokka "But we can get to that by the moment we get rolling on the actual fabrication of the whole thing, right?"

"Yes, it's a good idea" muttered Azula "Anything else you'd like to add?"

Sokka looked at the drawing again and sighed

"I don't know about you, but I sure don't want anyone getting too badly hurt on this. The stage will be held above the ground, and water should surround it just in case, to prevent people from getting bad injuries if they're knocked off. But don't worry, this water won't be used for bending, only the water supply within the stage can be used for battle"

"It's slightly amusing how you say 'people'… exactly how many players do you expect on this arena?" asked Azula "It's supposed to be a test for the Avatar, not a game"

"Well, it's just a generic way to talk about Aang, Zuko, Katara and Toph" he said, lifting his hands up in signal of rendition "But it wouldn't hurt if other benders wanted to pick this sport up or something, just like you said before…"

"And just as you said before, let's just focus on the issue of getting the Avatar his mastery of all elements. You can worry over this becoming a popular game later; though I doubt there will be good enough benders to fight in the conditions I have in mind"

Sokka raised an eyebrow, slightly confused

"You have more ideas up your sleeve there?"

"There's nothing up my sleeve, Sokka" she grunted "But yes, I have more things in mind… This is only the beginning. This test will be very hard for the Avatar to succeed in, but I believe he'll be able to handle it somehow; else he wouldn't be the Avatar"

"I hope you're right about that…" said Sokka "So, what do we do now?"

Azula blushed slightly and stared at him in slight shyness, surprising him

"Uh, are you okay?" he asked

"W-well… maybe I'm the one who needs the bathroom now…"

Sokka couldn't help but laugh at her statement while she playfully punched him in the shoulder. Azula exited the room in a moment, and he stared as she walked away, not missing a glimpse of the smile on her face. She wasn't very good at showing her feelings, but she definitely was a much kinder person than it seemed to everyone else. But Sokka was glad nobody other than him had seen that side of the Fire Nation Princess; it made him feel special, and it made him realize that he was special in her eyes as well.


	3. 3: A good place for a Bending Battle

_Here it is, the third chapter of the Pro-Bending Origins! ^^ I hope you enjoy it! And thanks to those who've posted your reviews! If there's anything you'd like to tell me, anything you wish to see improved in this fic, just leave a review, any sort of feedback is more than welcome! ^^_

Ty Lee had joined the Kyoshi Warriors, but she didn't spend as much time with them as she could have. Only a few months after becoming their member she realized that she'd ironically gotten herself in the exact position she'd tried to avoid: being part of a match set. She didn't regret becoming a Kyoshi Warrior, but she definitely didn't feel the same link towards Avatar Kyoshi as the rest of the girls did, which made her a little distant of the girls. Whenever they needed her in the team, she'd be there without a second thought, but whenever she had free time, she'd spend it exercising and hanging with old friends, without wearing the clothes and makeup that symbolized her membership with the Kyoshi Warriors.

Today she was merely walking around the Royal Palace right after having a quick breakfast. She stretched her arms, wondering if she should start out with her warm up routines. Day by day she merely waited to hear about a new mission from Suki, and if there was none, she'd spend time with either Mai or Azula, though never with both at the same time. It wasn't a secret to anyone how badly she wished to return to old times, but there wasn't much of a chance for that… Mai's and Azula's friendship had been strained, and it seemed to Ty Lee that it was on the verge of vanishing completely, if it hadn't disappeared already. Her wishes wouldn't come true so easily, despite how badly she hoped they would. But since Mai and Azula were both stubborn and proud, they would refuse completely to tend to their issues no matter what Ty Lee said.

With a sigh, the girl decided to start working out immediately. She was already at the back of the Palace, just a leap away from the soft grass that covered the beautiful Royal Garden, and in a whim, she decided to flip-flop her way towards the garden. She took a deep breath and stood in her hands, beginning her routine quite carelessly while driving herself backwards using her hands… and she suddenly collided against someone right when she was about to make the final leap

"Oww!" squealed Ty Lee, tripping and falling.

She'd knocked down the person she'd crashed against, and to her dismay, it wasn't just a mere servant lost in his way to the Main Hall or something…

"Curse it, Ty Lee…" grunted Azula, rubbing her shoulder "Can't you walk like a normal human for once?"

"Sorry, Azula!" said Ty Lee, crawling towards her "I didn't mean to hurt you! I didn't notice you were headed this way…! Oh, I'm so sorry…"

Azula sighed and shook her head while patting Ty Lee on the shoulder

"No need to worry, it'll take more than an accidental crash to cause some real damage on me"

"I guess so, but… I'm still sorry" muttered Ty Lee

Azula stood up, and to her friend's surprise, she stretched out her hand towards her. Ty Lee was impressed, but she attempted to keep her shock hidden while she accepted the Princess's help.

"I was actually looking for you, Ty Lee" admitted Azula "I need of your assistance on a little part of the project we discussed yesterday"

"What?" said Ty Lee, quite surprised at Azula's request

"I expected you to be willing to help me out" muttered the Princess "It's not a difficult task, I believe you can pull it off"

"W-wait, that's not it" said Ty Lee, smiling "I just figured you and Sokka were still at the planning stage, but there's no need to worry, I'll do anything you ask"

"Really? Anything?" said Azula, raising an eyebrow

"Of course!" said Ty Lee, smiling broadly

Azula found herself smiling as well, but she attempted to keep herself level-headed. It wasn't the time to send Ty Lee on a little mission to bother Zuko, she could do that after the more important issues had been handled.

"I am glad to hear that" she admitted "But there's no need to go to extremes in this mission, or so I believe. We require a talented earthbender to fulfill a part of this plan, and Sokka said he knew one, a young man called Haru. I want you to head into the Earth Kingdom and find him as quickly as possible, please"

Ty Lee stared at her dumbfounded, trying to digest the fact that Azula had actually asked her for a favor, but she nodded afterwards, smiling slightly

"No problem! But wait… why not Toph?" she asked, confused "She's the greatest earthbender in the world, right?"

"She's been training for the upcoming trial she'll have to put the Little Avatar through" said Azula "Sokka's sister and Zuko have been doing the same, and naturally, so has the Avatar. They should be at their best before heading out to perform the test, I believe"

"But that means… you'll be testing the three of them as well as Aang?" asked Ty Lee

"You could see it in that way, if you wish to do so" said the Princess, shrugging "But all we need for now is a proper earthbender, one that can comply to what we intend to have him do"

"And… why don't you ask me to recruit that old King from Omashu?" asked Ty Lee "He's been friends with Aang for… well, for a century, I guess. He'd be all in to help him, I think"

"He's not very trustworthy, in my opinion" said Azula "He wouldn't even let the Little Avatar free him back when he had a clear shot to be let out of the metal cage we had him in… he's unstable, and I cannot trust a man with such unpredictable attitude to undertake what Sokka and I have envisioned"

"Well, you don't happen to get along too well with old people" said Ty Lee, giggling

Azula sighed and entrusted Ty Lee with a scroll, which the Kyoshi Warrior took without erasing the smile on her face

"This map marks the place where Haru's village is at, at least, according to Sokka. It might not be entirely accurate, but with luck it won't be too difficult to find"

"Alright, I'll get down to it" said Ty Lee, but suddenly her cheerful smile changed to a doubtful grimace "But… will I go alone?"

"You're perfectly capable to go on your own, aren't you?" said Azula, staring at her friend with disbelief "You can beat the greatest benders without any difficulties, why would you need company?"

"Because lone trips are boring!" proclaimed Ty Lee "I understand you need to stay here and keep planning everything out with Sokka… but I don't want to go on my own, Azula…"

"Well then, take any companion you wish" grunted the Princess "It's really irrelevant to me whoever you choose to travel with, as long as you bring Haru with you"

"So… can I take Mai?" asked Ty Lee, while looking at Azula with apologetic eyes

Azula sighed yet again and stared at Ty Lee with slight irritation

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Take anyone you want, it's irrelevant to me" said Azula

Ty Lee sighed and stared at Azula with discontent spread across her features

"You know… I might be completely out of place here, and surely you don't want to hear this at all… But I'd like it if you and Mai would actually bother to talk your situation out already. You're always so awkward around each other, and I'm getting sick of going from one to the other as if I were nothing more than a messenger hawk. She's your friend, Azula… why can't you try to get along with her again?"

"She WAS my friend, Ty Lee, and as a matter of fact, I don't believe she would agree to that" muttered Azula, without managing to hide the pain this caused her for once. Normally she'd pretend that Mai's indifference towards her was meaningless, but she couldn't lie to Ty Lee anymore "Truth is, I believe she was only around me out of fear, according to what she said back then. I apologized to you already, I know I shouldn't have locked both of you up, but Mai won't care either way. I don't think she'll ever forgive me, therefore I won't bother wasting my time saying I'm sorry"

"You know what's funny, though?" muttered Ty Lee "She probably thinks you aren't sorry at all. You're both too stubborn, and you're both taking everything for granted… why don't you try talking to her for real? You wouldn't lose anything, would you?"

"I'd lose the image I have of myself, to tell the truth" muttered Azula bitterly, and Ty Lee shrugged

"Just think about it while I'm off finding your earthbender, okay?" she said

Azula crossed her arms and nodded curtly. Oh, she was sure she'd think about it… but no matter how much thought she gave the matter, she'd always reach the same conclusion: Mai wouldn't care at all if she apologized or not.

"Well, I'll be off then" said Ty Lee "Can I take a War Balloon?"

"Sure, why not?" said Azula "Good luck, Ty Lee, both on recruiting Mai and on finding Haru"

"Thanks" replied Ty Lee, and she flashed Azula with one of her trademark smiles before running off to the Southern Wing of the Palace

"Ty Lee, the War Balloons aren't over there!" called out Azula, and Ty Lee turned around, running backwards now

"I'm just going to let the Kyoshi Warriors know I'm taking a couple of days off!" she replied, still smiling

Azula found herself smiling as well as she watched Ty Lee jumping backwards and spinning around in mid-air. She fell facing the front this time, and she sprinted towards the small building of the Palace in which the Kyoshi Warriors resided nowadays, since they'd taken over everything that concerned the security of the Fire Nation Royalty. Azula merely watched her run, and couldn't repress a small sigh. She understood Ty Lee's wishes to return to the past, to the times when the three of them were unbeatable, when their so called friendship stood strong… but it was impossible at this point in time, and Azula regretted it more than she dared show. If only to make Ty Lee happy, she would like to attain at least a small cordial relationship with Mai, but it was completely unlikely. The old days were gone, and all they could do was watch them fade away…

…

Toph and Zuko didn't watch with much interest as Aang and Katara sparred with waterbending. They were currently taking turns to duel Aang, to make sure he could handle them separately and to see how his skills had improved. He had great potential, with his current abilities he was closer and closer to attaining the status of master of all four elements. He was still far from being as good as his three friends, but with each day that passed, he seemed in even better control of himself.

"I don't get this at all" muttered Toph, sitting down on the ground while waiting for the waterbending battle to end

"What are you talking about?" asked Zuko, leaning against a tree

"How much planning do Sokka and Azula need to do? What sort of a test do they have in mind?" asked Toph "He only needs to beat three masters, right? A simple fight against each of us should be enough"

"It's too easy" said Zuko "We're talking about Azula here. She wouldn't let Aang get away with just a fight against you, me and Katara…"

"Then what on earth does she have in mind?" asked Toph

"How should I know?" said Zuko, shrugging

Toph sighed and shook her head, disappointed

"I should be back in my metalbending school by now, you know? I have new recruits, and I left the Lily Livers in charge" grunted Toph, while stretching out her toes "It's not like I don't trust their skills, but they're not the best at teaching…"

"You could go back, I think" said Zuko "Why would you need to stay? For all we know, Sokka's and Azula's plans might drag on for…"

"HEY, GUYS!" yelled someone from afar

Aang and Katara stopped their bending for a moment and stared at Sokka, who was sprinting at full speed towards them with a broad smile on his face.

"What's the matter, Sokka?" asked Aang, surprised "What are you doing here?"

"Oh…" said Sokka, panting "I can't… be… around you guys… while you're bending… now? T-that's a new one…"

"That's not what he meant, Sokka" said Katara, with her hands on her hips "Weren't you plotting Aang's test with Azula?"

"I was…" he said "And it's coming along great! But… but we have a little problem to deal with… and I meant to talk to Zuko about it"

Zuko frowned and stared at Sokka with intrigued and wary eyes

"What do you need from me?" he said

"C-can you guys let me catch my breath first…?" asked Sokka, still panting. He dropped right next to Toph, who patted him hard on the back

"Why did you run all the way here? You should have walked like anyone else would have" she said

"I didn't realize… how far away you guys were…" muttered Sokka "Why did you pick such a far off location just for practice…?"

"We chose this place because it has nice earth, and a good river" said Aang "It's the nearest place to the Palace where the three of us can practice properly"

"Whatever you say, Aang…" said Sokka, still breathing agitatedly

"So… still can't tell us why you came?" asked Toph

"I guess I could…" replied Sokka, but before he actually got down to explaining anything, Katara intervened

"Azula sent you here, didn't she?" she muttered

"So what if she did?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow

"Well, it seems you're being used as an errand-boy or something" mocked Toph, while flashing a cruel grin

"Of course I'm not being used as anything!" said Sokka, staring at Toph in disbelief

"You seem so sure of that, huh…" muttered Katara bitterly, but Sokka heard her clearly

"Hey! I know none of you like Azula, but that's not really the reason I'm here… well, actually it is! That's why she asked me to come rather than asking you all herself, because you guys still treat her as if she was the same girl she was before!"

"And isn't she?" asked Katara, staring at Sokka with a stern look on her face "Sokka, I know you're head over heels for her, but you can't lose sight of the truth so easily"

"Well, maybe you're the one who can't see the truth properly, Katara" replied Sokka stubbornly

"Would you cut it out already?" said Toph, apparently bored over the siblings confrontation "Why are you here, Sokka?"

"Right…" he said, while taking one of the scrolls he'd brought with him "We need a good location for the test, because it's not going to be as conventional as you guys might think…"

"Why won't it be?" asked Aang, confused "What are you guys planning to do?"

"That we'll save for another time" said Sokka, smiling with slight discomfort "I'd rather explain the whole thing when it's all planned out properly, and when we're certain we can pull it off…"

"But why do you need to plan anything?" asked Aang "Aren't you guys getting carried away with this? It's only a test, right?"

"Well… yes and no" said Sokka, still flashing them with a guilty smile "She has some funny ideas… but don't worry, there's nothing dangerous about this! Actually… that's fishy, there really isn't anything dangerous…" he muttered, deep in thought for a second

"That's hard to believe" said Zuko "So? What do you need from me?"

"I just needed to know if there's a good place in the Fire Nation where we can set up the stage we need for the test…"

"Stage?" repeated Aang "Why would we need a stage…?"

"I told you I won't answer anything just yet!" said Sokka "But here, we have some blueprints of it… It's nothing final yet, but if possible, we'd like a place where we could build this up"

Sokka spread out one of the scrolls he had brought with him, and lay it open so that the rest of the group could see it… and stare at it in disbelief

"W-woah, Sokka…" said Aang "What on earth are you two onto?"

"It's nothing too difficult to pull off, honestly!" said Sokka, with a clumsy smile on his face

"You have a weird stage held up in the middle of a lake or something!" exclaimed Zuko "What is this, Sokka? What are you and Azula up to?"

"Uhmm… can I get briefed on this?" asked Toph, a little irritated "I don't suppose you believe I can see Sokka's pretty drawing with my feet, or do you?"

"It's really not my drawing" admitted Sokka "I did give out several ideas, but…"

"It isn't yours, that's for sure" said Aang, with a teasing smile

"Hey! I'm a good artist!" claimed the boy, while leering at the Avatar

"Well, you're not this good" said Katara "She did this one, right?"

"Yeah, she did…" finally admitted Sokka, shrugging

"And you want to know if there's a territory in the Fire Nation where you can hold a stage such as this one?" asked Zuko "Honestly, I don't know…"

"Why not do it in Republic City?" asked Aang "I'm sure this can be held somewhere within the United Republic of Nations"

Zuko sighed and stared at the blueprint once again, both confused and insecure. A place with such characteristics wasn't something that could be found just anywhere, was it?

"This reminds me a little bit of Omashu" said Aang suddenly "It rises from a chasm, just like the city does. Of course, this would have to be on a smaller scale… right?"

"I hope it is" said Katara "Azula could take your word too seriously and decide to smash down the entire city only to use it for her crazy test"

"Hey!" said Sokka "It's OUR crazy test! I'm throwing lots of ideas in it too!"

Katara rolled her eyes, sick of her brother's attitude

"Whatever, Sokka" she grunted, annoyed at him

"So… anywhere else you have in mind?" asked Sokka "Omashu is a good example, but it's too huge… we need somewhere similar, but much smaller. Can either of you arrange something like that, Aang, Zuko?"

Zuko and Aang exchanged a look, both aware of the fact that it wouldn't be easy to set up something along the lines of what Sokka and Azula were expecting, but Aang smiled at Sokka and nodded positively

"We'll figure something out. But please tell me you guys will get down to explaining us whatever you're planning to do sometime soon…"

Sokka smiled as well and stood up once more

"We'll get to it soon, I promise!" said Sokka "We'll let you know before we've set it all up, okay? Well, I'm off to the Palace again! Thanks for your help!"

With that, the Water Tribe boy ran back into the capital of the Fire Nation, leaving his friends behind. All of them were in deep thought: Katara was wondering what exactly should she expect from the trial Azula wanted to impose on them, Zuko and Aang were both thinking about how to solve the issue Sokka had posed on them, and Toph…

"Um… guys? Can anyone tell me now what was there on Sokka's scroll?" she grunted, without hiding the annoyance from her voice

The other three couldn't help but laugh and described the drawing to Toph, who didn't seem comfortable at all after hearing their explanation

"Meaning… it won't be a very steady ground, right? Doesn't sound good" she muttered "But it sounds a little bit like the Earth Rumble I used to play in back in the old days…"

An idea suddenly lit Aang's eyes, and he smiled broadly

"W-wait… THAT'S IT! That's the perfect place! All we have to do is add water to the bottom of the stage and with that, all of Sokka's and Azula's plans can come true!"

"Actually, the Earth Rumble did look a lot like that drawing…" admitted Katara "Do you think they'll be fine with it?"

"Of course they will!" said Aang. He approached a tree and took his glider from it, since he'd left it there before starting practice "I'll go tell Sokka! After that, I'll find Appa and we'll go right to Earth Rumble to request the stage!"

"A-Aang…" said Katara, but the boy sped up towards the sky and missed out on her words "Be careful…" she muttered, but still smiled a little while she watched him fly away

"So… what do we do now?" asked Toph

Zuko and Katara exchanged a little smile and helped Toph stand up from the place she'd been sitting on all along

"Let's have a bending battle" said Katara, smiling

"Each to his own?" asked Zuko, cracking his knuckles

"Oh, yeah" said Toph, grinning broadly. It was finally time to fight.


	4. 4: A talented Earthbender

_And here's the fourth chapter! ^^ I hope you enjoy it! Lots of Ty Lee and Mai on this one! I actually didn't plan to have Mai getting much of the spotlight, but I'll confess this fic is actually going to become much longer than I thought it would! A million ideas are overflowing me, and I have to put them all in one way or another ^^U Anyway, thanks to all who've been following this story! As I said before, you're all welcome to leave your reviews, and I hope to get the next chapter on pretty soon!_

Steering a War Balloon wasn't easy even for regular soldiers, but it was really confusing for Ty Lee. Mai wasn't as helpful as she could have been, since she felt that she'd cause more damage than help he she were to get involved in getting the infamous transportation to move in the right direction. They had been traveling for 3 days already, and they should have reached Haru's village by now, but the amount of trouble they'd dealt with while trying to keep themselves airborne had caused several delays in their schedule

"Well, that's that!" said Ty Lee right after setting the War Balloon on a course "We are a little too high, but I'll deal with that later…" and she sat on the floor of the balloon

"Where are we, exactly?" asked Mai, staring at the map Azula had given Ty Lee "I can't read maps very well"

"W-well… let me try!" said Ty Lee, taking the scroll and staring at it intently "Y-you know, I think we must be close by now, but… this is a little confusing…"

Mai sighed and looked at the sky without much interest, feeling as bored and irritated as she always did. In all truthfulness, she was starting to understand why they had needed to travel with Azula before: the Princess could read maps properly, unlike her and Ty Lee. But of course, she wasn't going to voice her opinion, despite knowing that the same thoughts were probably coursing through Ty Lee's mind by now.

"Well? Any clue yet?" asked Mai, her bored tone couldn't mask out her impatience completely

"I think we're almost there" said Ty Lee "But maybe we've gone too far… I think we should go down to the nearest village and ask them if that's the mining village, or if someone called Haru lives there"

"Whatever you say" replied Mai "How do we stop this thing?"

"Uh… I think we have to lower it and turn off the fire when we're close to the ground…" muttered Ty Lee

"We'll wreck havoc in a village if we descend on one" said Mai "Let's try to spot one and go down a couple of miles away"

"Why?" asked Ty Lee, staring at her friend in confusion

"From what I know about the earthbender we're looking for, the Fire Nation had taken control of his village and enslaved all the earthbenders who lived there. If a war balloon like this one were to land in the middle of town, the villagers might believe we're attacking them or something like that"

"Really? But the war's been over for years now!" said Ty Lee "Why would they still have a problem with the Fire Nation?"

"People don't forget oppression as quickly as you do, Ty Lee" muttered Mai

Ty Lee stared at her in disbelief, without entirely digesting her words

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, but Mai didn't answer

"Let's descend now, I can see a village up ahead"

Ty Lee sighed and got back to dealing with controlling the War Balloon. She struggled against the air currents and had them lose height gradually, but it was hard to handle all the multiple variables at the same time. She turned the fire off too soon, and they ended up crashing against some trees at the edge of a forest, to Mai's irritation and Ty Lee's frustration.

"S-sorry…" she said, as they got off the Balloon

"Well, at least we're alive" grunted Mai "Is the Balloon alright? Can we get on it again after we get Haru?"

"I think so… it's not broken or anything" said Ty Lee while checking the Balloon's status "Yup, we can carry on after we've checked out if that's the village where he lives"

"Let's go, then" said Mai, and both of them left the forest side by side.

The village they entered was pretty colorless, most of was either brown or faded green, which seemed to work perfectly well with Mai's aura, or so Ty Lee thought.

"So… we should ask someone if this is the mining village, right?" said Ty Lee

"Yeah, it's the best thing we can do right now" replied Mai.

Without further ado, Mai walked up to the first villager she saw and posed her question immediately, without any delicacy at all

"Does a man named Haru live here?"

Ty Lee stared at her in horror and ran towards her, trying to salvage the situation somehow, since the said villager was staring at her friend with evident fright spread across his features.

"W-what…?"

"No need to worry!" said Ty Lee, smiling as kindly as she could "We're… old friends of his, yes. We got lost in our way to his village, and we have no idea if we're at the right place!"

The man frowned but nodded slowly

"He lives in that house over there…" he muttered, pointing at a small shack on the next street "Are you really his friends? You look very… Fire Nation, if I may say so myself"

"Fire Nation? Us?" repeated Ty Lee, staring at the man with fake disbelief, which was quite evident since a couple of sweat drops were rolling down her nervous face "You're so funny! How can you say something like that? We're Earth Kingdom girls, that's a given! I'm even a member of the Kyoshi Warriors!"

"If you say so…" muttered the man, who still didn't seem to swallow their story at all, despite the fact that Ty Lee wasn't actually lying… or at least, not all her claims had been lies.

"Way to go, Ty Lee" said Mai, right after the villager walked away from them

"I was trying to be nicer to him! Acting so coldly will give us away immediately! You were the one who said that the people here won't take kindly to any Fire Nation visitors, so you can't act Fire Nation!"

"And what on earth am I supposed to act like?" asked Mai, staring at Ty Lee with absolute confusion "What do you want from me?"

"Smile and talk nicely to people, that's what you should do" said Ty Lee, walking towards the house the man had pointed at "But hey, at least we know we're at the right place, right?"

"If that man wasn't lying then I guess we are" said Mai, shrugging

"Why would he have lied to us?" asked Ty Lee

"I'm sorry to break this to you, but you weren't too convincing in your role as 'Earth Kingdom girl'"

"W-well, neither were you!"

"Probably because I wasn't even trying to act like something I'm not" stated Mai

"Oh… can you try to be reasonable for once, Mai?" asked Ty Lee "We're about to meet the guy we were sent to find, so please act nicely! Don't be as gloomy and depressing as you always are!"

Mai sighed and rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated by her friends insistence

"Fine, I'll try to be as jolly and silly as you always are. But if he gets freaked out because of this, it'll be your fault, got it?"

"Nothing will go wrong, stop being so negative" said Ty Lee

They reached the door of the house they'd been signaled towards, and Ty Lee knocked it gently. Inside, a young man with long hair set down on a table the razor he was about to shave his moustache with and he stared at the door with confused eyes. Who could be out there? Haru approached the entrance of his home and opened it with a little caution… but when he saw both the girls standing on the other side of the threshold he realized he probably hadn't been cautious enough.

"Woah!" said Ty Lee, staring at him in awe "Y-you're Haru?"

_And what happened with being nice and all that nonsense? She's almost drooling over him _thought Mai, and she figured that the only one who could salvage the situation was her… so she cracked up the most awkward smile she'd ever cracked up, showing her teeth to Haru, who stared at both of them with disbelief

"A… a nice day, isn't it?" asked Mai "So… are you Haru?"

"I… I am, but… aren't you two…?" said Haru, feeling somewhat frightened at the sight. One girl was staring at him with reverential eyes; the other one was giving him the creepiest smile he'd seen in his life. What on earth was going on here?

"You know who we are?!" asked Ty Lee

"Well… I think I heard something about some Fire Nation girls who… but… wait, why are you here in the first place? Do you have some business with my father?" asked Haru

"Your father?" repeated Mai "No, we came here for you. You see… Uh…" she muttered, slightly troubled. The boy was an acquaintance of the Avatar and his gang, and therefore he surely hadn't heard too many nice things about her and Ty Lee, according to the look in his face he surely believed them to be Azula's agents "F-Fire Lord Zuko sent us here"

"Fire…?" said Ty Lee, suddenly coming to her senses after hearing such random lie coming from Mai

"Really?" said Haru, staring at both of them with absolute disbelief "And… why does he need me?"

"He didn't say, actually" replied Ty Lee, smiling at him "He just told us to come take you to the Capital"

Haru stared at them again, and his eyes drifted towards Mai. According to what he knew, this girl was actually Zuko's girlfriend, wasn't she? Maybe all the stories he'd heard about the three female demons from the Fire Nation were folk's tale… but he didn't need Toph's prodigious earthbending skills to tell the two girls were mixing up a lie within the truth.

"Uhm… fine, I guess…" he muttered "But I'll go ask my dad first. He might need my help in some work related things, and I want to check if I can leave or not…"

"Oh, sure! Take your time!" said Ty Lee, still smiling happily

Haru walked back inside and Mai stared at her infatuated friend with disappointment

"You're unbelievable" she muttered, while shaking her head. Ty Lee, as lost as she was on her new dreamy crush, failed to hear what Mai had said.

Haru ran inside once more and approached the room in which his father was working on. He'd been working on the coal mines of the village, but on his spare time he enjoyed pottery, probably since it was a very fun activity to do for an earthbender like him.

"Uhm… dad?"

"Yes, Haru?" asked Tyro, looking at his son

"There's a couple of Fire Nation girls out there, and they're telling me Fire Lord Zuko needs me at the Capital or something…"

"Oh, I see. Have a nice trip, son" said Tyro, smiling at Haru

It's needless to say how disappointed Haru was. He clearly would have given anything for his father to oppose the Fire Nation girls, to hear him say how badly he needed him to aid him with his pottery…

"A-are you sure you're okay with this?" asked Haru "I mean… You're not getting any younger, dad, and I'm obliged to help you out if you need my assistance with anything"

"Oh, who am I to deny you the pleasure of seeing your friends again?" said Tyro, smiling "I bet the Avatar and his group will be over at the Capital too! You should go, Haru; I'll be fine"

"B-but…"

"Go, my boy. Find your own path in the world!" said Tyro, smiling happily

Haru was completely dumbfounded. He headed back towards the door slowly, unwilling to spend one more second with those creepy girls… He should just lie to them, right? Tell them his father actually did need him! What was wrong with that? How would they know he was lying? They wouldn't! They couldn't! Or… could they? These two girls, and their creepy leader, Princess Azula, were said to hold some very unusual skills, weren't they? Maybe they could tell when someone was lying… and he didn't even want to imagine what they'd do if they found out about his deceit. He swallowed and sighed, giving himself up as he opened the door

"I'm free, or so my father said. You can take me to the Capital" he muttered under his breath

"Oh, yay!" squealed Ty Lee, jumping around in happiness "I'm so glad! Alright, handsome, come this way!"

Haru was clearly uncomfortable at hearing the girl refer to him as 'handsome', but he let it slide as they led him outside his hometown. He looked back one last time, wondering if he hadn't actually done the wrong thing by following the two girls, but it was too late to regret his decision now. They walked on towards the edge of the forest, and Haru stared at the War Balloon with slight discontent, not only because of the bad memories it brought back, but because of the evident crash-landing the two girls had been forced to do, in which their means of transportation might have gotten badly damaged.

"So… how are we going to get it back up?" asked Mai, staring at Ty Lee

"Oh… I don't really know" said the girl, biting her lower lip. She turned towards Haru and smiled guiltily towards him "Y-you don't happen to be a firebender too, do you?"

"Of course not" replied Haru "What's the matter? You don't know how to turn the fire on again?"

"We're not experts on War Balloons" said Mai

"I can see that now" said Haru, smiling awkwardly "Why didn't you come with someone who knew how to deal with this?"

"Well, I didn't really think this through" muttered Ty Lee "I bet we wouldn't be in this mess if Azula were with us…"

Mai let out an exasperate sigh, but Haru ignored her completely. He stared directly at the troubled Ty Lee and asked his question

"May I ask… what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, Azula is pretty good in all these war related things" said Ty Lee "She would have known how to handle this… I wonder why didn't she come get you herself, it would have been easier for everyone"

"C-come for me HERSELF?" repeated Haru "Wait a second… She was the one that sent the two of you here, wasn't she?!"

Mai sighed and shrugged

"Yeah, so what? Calm down, will you?"

"No, I won't calm down! You said Zuko had sent for me, but it was her! You're plotting something evil! You're actually trying to take me away from my family, just as you did with my dad back then!"

Ty Lee and Mai exchanged looks of total confusion. What was the earthbender talking about? Clearly, neither of them knew at all, and frankly, they couldn't have cared less.

"You're not entirely right about that" said Ty Lee "Zuko does need you, because whatever Azula's planning involves him as well"

"Nothing you say matters anymore! You lied to me straight to my face! I'm going back home!" he said, turning around and heading back towards his village

Mai looked at Ty Lee and jerked her head towards Haru

"Well? You're the one who can stop him, aren't you?"

Ty Lee sighed and stared at Haru, who was running now

"I'm not a big fan of using my chi-blocking against a cutie like him, but… I guess I have no choice anymore, huh?"

And so she sprinted towards him, knocking him to the ground after delivering some quick jabs to his back. Haru's body stopped working, or so it felt for him as he collapsed to the ground. He couldn't move his legs or his arms, and he'd fallen face-first, crushing his nose.

"Y-you… what did you do to me?!" he yelled, looking at Ty Lee, who was already looming over him

"Sorry, cutie" she said "We have to take you to the Fire Nation, whether you like it or not, so… good night!"

Haru would have asked her about the meaning behind her words… but after feeling another of Ty Lee's quick strikes against his head, he lost consciousness completely.


	5. 5: A Heated Discussion

_So yeah, I'm kind of a quick writer… and I'm actually rushing to get this fic done ^^U I don't want to hit an ugly hiatus and leave this unfinished, so you get two updates in one day! This is kind of an emotional chapter, but I hope you guys still like it anyways!_

Haru opened his eyes and saw bright stars shining in the night sky. There were barely any clouds, and the weather was quite chilly. He groaned a little and tried to get up from wherever he was, but he was surprised to find he was stuck to the floor… wait, what floor? Where was he? How could he see the sky so clearly? The recent events came back to his mind a bit too late, and he looked at the right to find the Fire Nation girl who'd beaten him when he'd tried to escape them.

"H-hey!" he exclaimed, trying to move his arms, but he'd been pinned to the base of the War Balloon by stilettos, courtesy of Mai. "What is this?! Where are you taking me?!"

"Oh, you're awake!" said Ty Lee, smiling happily "I'd been wondering if you were going to sleep all the way to the Capital, but I'm glad to see you won't!"

"I didn't agree to this!" he screamed "Let me go!"

"Nobody here cares if you agreed to it or not" grunted Mai "Get over yourself"

"This is ridiculous!" he claimed, trying to move, but all the stilettos had been placed to prevent him from moving at all

"Will you smack him in the head again, Ty Lee?" asked Mai "He's too annoying"

"No way! I want to talk to him now he's awake!" she said, sitting closer to Haru, who felt even more frightened by her attitude now

"W-why do you want to talk to me? You're kidnapping me!" he yelled "Let me go now!"

"I don't think I should do that" said Ty Lee "You're angry and you want to get away from us, and you'd be willing to jump off the War Balloon even when we're miles above the ground… and I can't have you dying, nope!"

"Sure you can't, because your leader doesn't want that, right?" asked Haru "Why do you need me?! Are you planning a coup at the Fire Nation Capital?"

"If we were, why would we need you?" asked Mai, and Haru was rendered speechless. Truth to be told, why did they need them? What good was it for these girls to have him as their hostage like this?

"But then… what are you up to?" he said

"We don't really know" said Ty Lee "But let's talk more about you, cutie! Do you have a girlfriend?"

"W-what? No, I don't…" he replied "Why would you care?"

"I care because you're strikingly handsome! Although I could do without the mustache, if you want my opinion" said Ty Lee, with a sly smile on her face "Mai, can I have one of your knives? I could shave him right here, right now…"

"No way" replied Mai "I'm not going to lend you something only to get it covered in some guy's hair. Get your own knife"

"Oh, shoot…" she muttered, sighing "Well, you can shave when we make it to the Fire Nation's Royal Palace, okay?"

Haru stared at her without attempting to conceal his unhappiness. He sighed and stared at the flame fueling the War Balloon, and he raised an eyebrow

"How did you get it running? Didn't you say you had no idea how to turn it on?"

"We had to recur to… non-bender methods" said Ty Lee, smiling uncomfortably "It wasn't easy, but we had enough fuel and that created the huge fire you're seeing right now from a tiny spark!"

"Uh… great…" said Haru, still wary of both girls "So… where are we?"

"No idea!" said Ty Lee, to his dismay

"What?! What do you mean you have no idea?!"

"Well, you see… we suck at reading maps" she admitted, with a guilty smile "But we're heading towards the right direction, I think…"

"You two are a mess…" muttered Haru, shaking his head.

"Watch what you say about us" grunted Mai, while playing with one of her knives "I might just decide to throw this at your head if you make me mad"

"You can't do that, can you?" said Haru "If you did, you wouldn't be able to take me to your crazy Princess, and she'd kill you off with her blue fire, right?"

"He does have a point" said Ty Lee, smiling a little

"About what? About Azula being crazy or about her killing us off if we kill him?" asked Mai

Ty Lee frowned again and sighed, deciding to change the subject

"Well, tell me more about yourself, Haru!" she said, smiling now

"What's there to tell?" asked Haru, confused "Besides, why are you so keen to know me?"

"I already told you how handsome you are, haven't I?" said Ty Lee, with a flirty smile

"Yes, you've told him how cute you think he is, just like you told half the boys you've met as well" said Mai

"What? Oh, come on! What's eating you now, Mai?" asked Ty Lee, forgetting completely about her intent to woe Haru, who stared back and forth from the girls, wondering if he was about to witness an epic battle

"Nothing's eating me. I'm only stating facts" she replied, folding her arms

"Oh, really?" said Ty Lee "And why did you feel like stating them just now?"

"Because I'm sick and tired of seeing you infatuated so shallowly with any boy you meet. You just fling yourself at them, without any pride or dignity! And I'm pretty sure I know why you do that"

"You are? Well, I'd love to hear your brilliant theories, Mai" replied Ty Lee

"It's too obvious, Ty Lee. You're just doing that because you couldn't keep the one guy you did like"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Do I have to spell everything out to you?" grunted Mai "You were completely into Sokka, weren't you?"

"W-what…?" said Ty Lee, surprised "B-but that was just a silly crush! He's really nice and he's good-looking too, but he's not the only guy out there…"

"Is that so?" asked Mai "Then you're going to tell me you're fine with seeing him in Azula's arms, right? Don't lie to yourself, Ty Lee. If even I can see it, there's no point in denying it anymore"

"You're seeing what you want to see" replied Ty Lee, frowning "Maybe I was a little in love with Sokka, but I've seen how happy they are with each other! Why would I resent something like that?"

"Are you going to insist with the same nonsense? She always does this to you, doesn't she? Every time you could have had a chance at seizing happiness, she's gotten in the way and screwed you over. Why do you act as if she were an innocent little girl who's just being a little mischievous? You should know better than that already!"

"She hasn't done any of that! Stop saying such horrible things! I'll admit she took me away from the circus back then, but I chose to follow her despite all that! I was fine with it, because she's my friend!"

"You're so naïve, Ty Lee… Your friend? She's a monster, and she knows it. Stop living in your pretty wonderland, will you? Wake up already!"

"Cut it out!" yelled Ty Lee "You have no idea of what you're talking about! Yes, she did terrible things back then, and yes, she threw us both in jail, but she's not the same person she was before! And I think the real reason behind her change is Sokka himself! He's helped her become a better version of herself, why can't you see that?!"

"Fine, keep deluding yourself" said Mai "I know better than that. I can see right through her"

"No, you can't! You're stuck in the past, Mai! You don't know who she is now! And you know what the worst part is? She won't apologize for all the things she did because she's sure you'll never ever forgive her!"

"Oh, really? Is that the new lie she came up with? She has never apologized over anything before, Ty Lee, and she's not going to start doing it now"

"That's what you keep saying, but she apologized to me!"

"Maybe it's because she knew you were still stupidly hung upon the so called friendship there was between the three of us" said Mai "She's always known how to play her game, Ty Lee, an apology or two will never mean she's become a better person than she was before"

"Oh, you're unbelievable! What would it take to make you realize Azula really is a better person now?! Do you want her to crawl in the floor while begging for your forgiveness?!"

"I never said that" replied Mai "Though it's not like she'd ever to something like that, would she?"

"Well, no! But… uh, Mai, I'm begging you to be reasonable! If you actually bothered to hear her out, you'd see for yourself how much she's changed!"

"I don't buy it" grunted Mai "And I'm sad to see you have fallen for her lies all over again. If you liked her so much, maybe you should have sided with her back when we were at the Boiling Rock and you would have spared yourself of those dreadful months of not being her peasant, right?"

"I can't believe you…" said Ty Lee, baffled at Mai's sarcastic and cruel accusations "I didn't side with her because I was trying to protect you! You don't get it, do you?! Both of us knew what she would have done to you when you betrayed her, and I had to save your life somehow! You're seriously going to tell me you would have been fine if I had let her scorch you up?! You can't be so ungrateful, and so stubborn, and…!" the girl's eyes were swarming in tears by now, but she still hadn't told Mai all the things she had in mind "All I wanted was… w-was to see the two of you getting along again… why can't that happen? W-why must both of you be so proud…? I know you think all we lived back then was a lie, that we weren't really friends of hers, but we were! Have you forgotten already about the old times, when we were kids? It was the three of us back then… w-why can't it be the three of us again? Why must everything go to waste…?"

Mai frowned while staring at Ty Lee. There were few things she shared with Azula nowadays, but they both broke down after seeing their friend's tears. Still, she was afraid Ty Lee had been tricked by the Fire Nation Princess yet again… she'd known Azula since they were toddlers, and the manipulative abilities of the girl were prodigious. But Ty Lee, the positive and cheerful girl, could never see wrong in anyone, even in someone as cruel and ruthless as Azula. And clearly, she'd never make her see the truth at this rate. She couldn't deny it would be ideal if the three of them could be friends and hang together once again, but she refused to let herself fall for Azula's lies one more time. Maybe the Princess had changed for good, just as Ty Lee kept claiming… but what was broken could not be fixed so easily.

"Please, Mai…" muttered Ty Lee "Just give her a chance… s-she's not as evil as you've always thought she is…"

Mai sighed and gazed towards the horizon, frowning

"This conversation's over" she muttered, refusing to let herself be swayed by Ty Lee's requests.

Ty Lee dragged her knees up to her chin and she rested her head on top of them, while hugging her legs with her arms. She had always known her wishes couldn't come true so easily, but how she wished they would…

Meanwhile, Haru was in shock. He stared at both the girls without understanding at all the reason behind their argument, but only now he realized the girls were dealing with a friendship that had been seriously damaged, and he could only stare at Ty Lee in amazement, wondering how it would feel to have such a loyal friend in his life. Hadn't he been stuck to the War Balloon's floor, he'd been happy to put an arm around her and tell her how brave she was, and that everything would be solved eventually… and that's when he returned to his normal self. Was he actually going to feel pity for the girl who had kidnapped him? He sighed and assumed both girls had completely forgotten about his presence; for now, he would just wait until they finally arrived in the Fire Nation… after that, he would think rationally about this Ty Lee girl and figure out whatever he felt towards her, be it admiration, empathy or anything else.


	6. 6: Making the Earth Disks

_Here is the sixth chapter! I'd been writing this since Friday, but I guess I was pretty tired after the long week ^^U Thanks for all the follows and the favorites this story is getting! But of course, you're also welcome to review ;) to quote one of my favorite fic authors, 'reviews sometimes amuse', so yeah, amuse me and review this! I want to know what you think about it! ^^ well, that's that! Enjoy the sixth one!_

Sokka found himself collapsing in the couch of the broadest sitting room of the Palace. He'd been sending messenger eagles all over the world while trying to make reality the plans he and Azula had been coming up with. He still had received no answer from Teo's father in what concerned the building of the necessary features to hold in the earth disks or the water supply; Sokka himself had been devising some designs of the structures they needed to perfect the stage, but it wasn't a one-man job, and he would most definitely have trouble making them, he was better at planning than at executing the said plans.

"Is there something wrong with you?" asked Azula, entering the room "You seem beaten"

"Uh… I guess not" said Sokka "I'm just a little tired. It's almost been a week since this whole crazy test thing came up… and we've been planning so much I have the worst headache…"

"I see…" muttered the Princess, walking towards him. To Sokka's surprise, she stroked his cheek in a very sweet manner, in a way that was quite unlike her usual self. Sokka had seen her kindest side several times already, but seeing her treat him in such precious manner was still very unusual "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"What you're doing right now is good enough…" said Sokka, closing his eyes and enjoying the touch of her fingers… "But I'm actually kind of thirsty"

Azula raised an eyebrow, but smiled anyways. She should have seen this coming, she knew Sokka better than to believe he'd really be fine with only a few kind gestures from her.

"Do you want a glass of water? I won't get you any Cactus Juice, no matter how you ask for it"

"Water's fine" said Sokka, smiling "But still… why not Cactus Juice for once? It's really good! You should try it…!"

"I don't think so" grunted Azula "So, water?"

"Yes, please…" said Sokka, staring at her with disbelief. When had she become so selfless? She was actually going to get his water! Azula, of the Fire Nation, would cast aside her pride for him…

"You, peasant!" ordered Azula, and a servant ran into the room as quickly as possible, bowing down to her clumsily "Bring a glass of water for the gentleman"

Sokka couldn't help but show a slightly crooked smile, knowing he should have seen that coming. There was no way Azula would actually lower herself to such extent, she'd never be seen doing anyone else any favors, not even to her boyfriend.

"T-thanks…" muttered Sokka

"Always a pleasure" replied Azula, smirking "Did you come up with more ideas, or are you too tired to talk about it?"

"Nah, I guess I can talk" said Sokka "See, I was thinking… remember the grates you drew over the stage?"

"Yes…?" said Azula, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I noticed how they divided up the stage in about six areas… so why don't we limit the game even more by forcing Aang and the others to fight within those zones?"

"How, exactly?" asked Azula.

"Well, they should fight in the center of the stage at first, which would be zone one. If Aang manages to push the other three back to the second zone of their field, he can take their zone for himself, and he'll advance on it, and the others would be fighting now from zone two. Of course, if the others push Aang back, Aang's first zone can become theirs… do you get what I'm getting at?"

"I believe I do" replied Azula, in deep thought "It does sound useful, and it would help the Little Avatar to fight in all fairness… I feared the other three could corner him somehow, but this zone setting will help him to stand his ground."

"See? It was a good idea, huh?" said Sokka, smiling clumsily.

"Indeed. Well done, Sokka" Azula congratulated him, flashing him one of her trademark smirks

"Princess…" muttered the servant, who had just reentered the room with a tray and two glasses of water.

Azula frowned. She hadn't ordered water for herself, she wasn't particularly thirsty… and her irritation at the servant's improvisation was evident in her facial expression. Sokka sat up and stared at her, wondering if she'd recur to punishing the man, who was nearly trembling by now, due to how afraid he was of the Fire Nation Princess…

"You do know I only ordered one glass, don't you?" she asked.

"I-I'm sorry, Princess…" muttered the man, swallowing quickly. He had only been working at the palace for a few months, but he figured he'd lose his job eventually if he did anything out of place, since it would catalyze Azula's displeasure, and she might even banish him if she was too angry…

"Oh, stop shaking like that. You'll end up dropping both glasses, and then you'll have to do it all over again" grunted Azula "What are you waiting for? Give us the water already"

The servant walked towards Sokka and handed him a glass, Azula took hers almost unwillingly.

"Do keep to the orders next time, will you?" she said "You may leave now"

The servant bowed and nodded several times while walking backwards.

"Y-you're too kind, Princess…" he muttered, and he exited the room, surprised and amazed at having survived such dangerous encounter.

Sokka eyed Azula with suspicion, as she stared at the glass of water in her hand, wondering if she ought to drink it or throw away the liquid.

"You were actually too kind" said Sokka "Are you okay?"

"What?" said Azula, apparently returning to reality after hearing his voice "I am perfectly well… or so I believe"

"But… you didn't bite his head off or anything" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow "That's a little too weird coming from you; even after all you've changed…"

"Indeed, it is" admitted Azula, frowning "Why didn't I just scold him and banish him…?"

Sokka smiled and shook his head.

"Don't be silly" he said, patting her on the shoulder after getting off the couch "It's okay not to banish your peasants once in a while"

"Or so you say" she muttered, still frowning "It's not like I even wanted the water at all…"

Sokka laughed and downed the glass with a couple of gulps; he left the empty goblet on a table and surrounded Azula's shoulders with an arm.

"You can give it to me if you don't want it anyways. It's okay with me"

"No, no… I'll drink it later" said Azula, setting down the glass on the same table Sokka had left his.

Sokka's arms ended up sliding down to her waist, and he drew her closer after she left the glass. Azula seemed a little unwilling to allow herself being embraced, but she took his hands on her own, enjoying the closeness she felt while with him. Their eyes met, cool azure crashing against fire-like ember, as the urge to join together in a kiss became much stronger and unbearable...

"Princess" said a servant, entering the room and carelessly interrupting the moment between both teenagers "Lady Ty Lee and Lady Mai have arrived and they have requested to see you"

Azula fred herself from Sokka's embrace in a swift movement, not comfortable with being caught in the middle of romantic exchanges with her boyfriend. Of course, the said boyfriend seemed quite dissapointed over the sudden end to the passionate moment he wanted to share with her, but he merely turned around and faced the door, just as she had done only a few seconds ago.

"Let them in" commanded Azula, and the servant nodded. He left the room briefly, and when he entered it again, he had brought three more people with him.

"We're back!" exclaimed Ty Lee, smiling broadly at Azula "And we found your earthbender!"

The said earthbender didn't share her enthusiasm, he looked completely confused and slightly scared as her scanned both Azula and Sokka with suspicion in his eyes. So was Sokka really with the Fire Nation Princess, the creepy girl who had chased them off of the Western Air Temple back then? He had heard both his kidnappers mention this while they argued, but he'd been so shocked to see them fighting that he'd been unable to realize that Sokka was actually involved with that dangerous girl…

"Hey, Haru!" called out Sokka, grinning happily. Haru offered him a very uncomfortable smile, and he would have waved at him, but both his hands were bound with ropes.

"Why did you tie him up?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow "Was he a handful?"

"Maybe a little" said Ty Lee, smiling guiltily "He wasn't too willing to come with us, so we ended up tying him up to avoid having him jumping off the War Balloon or something like that…"

"Well, if that's what it would take to bring him here, then it's all fine" said Azula "Was the trip difficult?"

"Only a little" replied Ty Lee "Y-you know, I'm not that great at reading maps and such…"

Azula smiled a little and nodded at her.

"Still, you finished your mission adequately. Well done, and thanks for your hard work"

Ty Lee smiled again and bowed her head at Azula.

"You're most welcome!" and she walked out the room, to Azula's surprise.

"Where are you going?" asked the Princess, and Ty Lee stopped for a second

"I'm only going to let the Kyoshi Warrios know I'm back" she muttered, still smiling "See you later!"

"Oh, I see…" said Azula, and her friend left.

The eyes of the Fire Nation Princess were drawn directly towards the other girl who had entered the room before. Mai seemed to be as indifferent to everything as usual, but there was something off about her, and Azula couldn't place what it was. Ty Lee herself didn't seem to be very cheerful, despite all the smiles she kept showing her; something weird had happened on that trip, but it probably wasn't her place to ask about it, let alone to the one person who would definitely not want to tell her anything. Mai seemed to realize Azula was staring at her, but even after arguing with Ty Lee back when they were still floating on the War Balloon, she was still unable to face Azula properly, to let her explain herself and to embrace that explanation…

"Where's Zuko?" was the only thing she could bring herself to ask, to both her and Azula's disappointment.

"Either in his room, or in a council meeting, or training outside the city" replied the Princess. Mai merely nodded curtly and left the room without another word.

Sokka looked at Azula, concerned. It wasn't something anyone would be able to notice, but there was a change on the Princess's manner that he was sure had to do with Mai and their edgy relationship. Not knowing what to do, and unwilling to bother her, Sokka merely put a hand on the girl's shoulder, but before she could even register his movement, the other occupant of the room cleared his throat

"So… are you ever going to tell me what you brought me here for?" asked Haru, notoriously annoyed

"Oh! Right!" said Sokka, smiling clumsily "We needed a good earthbender, and you were the first one that came to my mind, so…"

"Okay, I actually am going to ask something else first…" said Haru "What exactly…? W-what is it with you two? Are you actually with her, Sokka?"

"Is there a problem? You don't think I'm good enough for him?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow dangerously, daring Haru to answer positively.

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" replied Haru, nervously "I was under the impression he was dating Suki, that's all! N-not to mention I didn't really know he was interested in girls like you…"

"Girls like ME?" repeated Azula, clearly offended

"W-what I mean is that you're strong and proud, and you probably could beat Sokka up if he annoyed you! Y-you're too much for him, I think…"

"HEY!" yelled Sokka

"In a way, he is right" muttered Azula, smirking

"H-Hey!" he whined now, staring at her in disbelief "That's not fair!"

"W-well… now you can tell me why I'm here" said Haru "Since I don't think I'll ever understand why the two of you are together"

"You probably won't" said Azula "We needed a powerful earthbender who could help us with making reality the design we had for the rocks that the Avatar will have to bend on his test"

"Oh his what?" asked Haru "Why is he going to do a test?"

"We're trying to prove in a more official way that he's actually a master of all four elements" said Sokka "Anyway, don't ask for the reasons, will you? Just come with us!"

Haru frowned and stared at the ropes tying his hands together

"I'll go but… could you untie me first?"

Azula raised an ayebrow and lifted a hand in Haru's direction. A blue flame appeared on the tip of her index finger and she threw it towards the ropes, burning them in seconds and making the bind around his hands disappear; but also frightening Haru notoriously.

"W-woah! C-couldn't you just rip them up?" he asked

"I bothered to free you, why do you complain so much about my methods?" said Azula, irritated

"Uh, forget it…" said Haru. He stared at Azula with distrust, and he followed her and Sokka outside the room

They walked for almost half an hour, exiting the city to Haru's surprise. He had no idea where they were taking him, but he was so far from home already that there wasn't much point in escaping… he also figured that, if Sokka was involved with this, it really wouldn't be too dangerous, but he wasn't too enthusiastic about it anyways. As soon as he was done with this work, he'd head straight back home and he'd shave his mustache, just as he had been trying to do before this mess happened! But all his plans vanished suddenly from his head when they walked directly towards what seemed to be a mountain of earth and stopped right in front of it.

"What's this?" asked Haru, surprised.

"This is your workplace" said Azula with a cruel smile, surprising Haru.

"HUH?!"

"Listen up" said Sokka "We need you to make some rock disks, and they should be very strong and heavy disks. What we want is to have you earthbend this entire mountain into a…"

"A gigantic earth disk?" asked Haru, in shock

"No" said Azula, taking a scroll she had brought with herself and opening it to show Haru the design of the rock disk "We want you to make several disks, thousands of them if possible, and we want them to look just like this. Do you have confidence in being able to do the job, or should we look for another earthbender?"

Haru frowned and stared at the pile of earth. He took a deep breath and bended some of it towards him. He took another look at Azula's designs of the rock disk, and he began to mold the earth, compressing it until it became a rock. He added the final touches, making the edges round and soft, and he lifted the center of the disk to make a small square, and he managed to make Azula's design a reality.

"How's this?" asked Haru, smiling.

"It looks pretty good!" said Sokka, nodding in approval.

Azula seemed to think otherwise. Haru was still holding the disk in the air with complete ease, and that meant it would be a rock too easy to bend. And to Haru's dismay, she punched the disk and it crumbled to pieces

"It's too unstable. Make it more solid, more compact" she ordered, and the young earthbender stared at her with mild irritation.

Haru sighed and bended again the same earth Azula had dismissed. He compressed it as much as he could, sweat drifting on his brow after all his effort. But, as busy as he'd been bending it to make it solid, he had only created a very small rock, heavier than the usual rocks, but still just a rock. He bended some more earth and he added it to the stone he had made earlier, compressing it slowly until it finally became the disk Azula wanted, about ten minutes after his first attempt. Haru panted and let the stone disk fall to the floor with a loud thud as he tried to catch his breath

"Well, this one should work better, right?" asked Sokka, while approaching the stone to pick it up. But his attempts to lift it failed completely, the rock disk was too heavy to be picked up through normal means "I can't move it!"

"That is a good sign" said Azula, smirking "Yes, this will do. Good work, Haru"

"P-please tell me you'll pay me for this…" panted Haru, and both Azula and Sokka exchanged a look, completely confused

"Uh… pay? D-do we even have money for that?" asked Sokka, smiling in diskomfort.

"Maybe we don't, but Zuzu does" said Azula, with a cruel grin "He can pay all the expenses, I'm sure…"

"And I'm sure the Fire Lord won't be too happy about that" said Sokka, laughing a little.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Azula, staring at Haru "Keep bending"

"I would, but… how many disks to you need?" he asked

"As many as you can make" said Azula "All the earth in front of you is here for the sole sake of becoming rock disks,"

"B-but that's going to take ages!" protested Haru "This isn't as easy as you might think it is!"

"We have time" said Azula, staring at her nails "The test isn't such an urgent matter, and it would be good to give time for the Avatar to train and for us to plan more."

Sokka nodded and Haru shrugged

"Well, alright…" he said "I'll do my best"

The young man returned to his bending without much enthusiasm, but he immediately began to make another disk while the other two exchanged some words right behind him

"This settles the issue with the rocks they'll be bending on the test" said Azula "But we're still short on other aspects. What happened with the location? Have you found a good place yet?"

"No, not really" muttered Sokka "Aang apparently came up with an idea, but he was talking too fast when he told me, I didn't get what he was saying… and then he vanished, and he has been gone ever since. Zuko hasn't given me an answer either"

"This is a problem…" muttered Azula "When do you expect the Avatar to return here?"

"Well… with luck, he'll be back soon, but as you said, there's no need to hurry, right? Let's take our time and be cool about this, okay?"

Azula shrugged impatiently, clearly she wanted to make sure there was a place where they could hold the test they had been planning for almost a week now, but as Sokka said, they had to be calm about it. The answers would come eventually, and one way or another, the test would go exactly as they'd devised it would, she would make sure of it.


	7. 7: To Forgive or Not to Forgive

_Here we go! Another chapter just out of the oven! A little Kataangyness on this one, some slight Maiko as well, and Toph making fun of Aang non-stop! I hope you all enjoy it! ^^_

Zuko walked back to his room after meeting with his council, hoping to get off these official robes as soon as possible and head out to practice some more with Toph and Katara. They had been fighting each other at the same time, and it had proved to be quite a thrilling but dangerous experience. On their last fight, Katara had knocked him to the floor and Toph had thrown a rock straight on his head before he could even register what had happened, and he blacked out for almost ten minutes, even when Katara had been healing him to the best of her ability. But despite all the problems, they were having tons of fun while training with each other. Still, Aang's prolonged absence worried Zuko; they had heard no word from the Avatar and he'd been gone for almost a week now. And of course, his main concern was about Mai… she had left around the same time as Aang had, and she wasn't back yet… maybe Ty Lee and her had gotten stranded somewhere in the Earth Kingdom and they hadn't been able to send for help…

But his assumption was proven wrong when he walked into his room and found Mai sitting next to the window, staring through it and looking at the Capital with the usual look of boredom on her face.

"Mai!" exclaimed Zuko; smiling as he approached her "I didn't know you were home! When did you make it here?"

"I just arrived" replied Mai, without looking at him

"I'm so glad you're…" said Zuko, approaching her, but only then did he notice the gloomy aura around his girlfriend was different than usual "Mai? What's wrong?"

"Everything's fine, Zuko" replied Mai

"I don't believe that" muttered the Fire Lord.

"Are you really going to make me go through this right after I've just come home?" grunted Mai

"I think I will" said Zuko, sitting down next to her. "Did something happen on the trip?"

"It's none of your business" muttered Mai

Zuko frowned and stared at Mai with disbelief and irritation

"Hey, the reason we broke up back then was because I kept 'too many secrets', right? Well, if I can't keep them, neither can you!"

Mai sighed and stared at Zuko in frustration

"You're so persistent and annoying…" she muttered, but she complied with his requests "… I had a row with Ty Lee while we were on the War Balloon, that's all"

"You did?" said Zuko "And… what were you arguing about?"

"You're seriously going to make me say it? Aren't you smart enough to figure it out for yourself?"

Zuko seemed displeased. He had expected a sweet rendezvous with Mai when she returned from Azula's quest, where the two of them would be all smiles and glee, sharing their love for each other… and instead he found himself facing the crankiest version of Mai he'd seen in years.

"I can take a guess" he said "I bet Ty Lee wants you to forgive Azula, and you're refusing to do it"

"You're a genius" said Mai, with her usual bored tone

"Give her a chance, Mai" said Zuko "I'm sure you'll be able to notice she's not the same she used to be"

"You all say that, but… what if you're wrong? What if she's still the same and you're all being dragged into her game? You can't deny that possibility, Zuko…"

"I know I can't" said the Fire Lord "But I can't judge her blindly either. Just try to see it, Mai, she won't disappoint you"

"You'd better be right…" muttered Mai, sighing in boredom "Else I'll be telling you 'I told you so', and I don't want to witness your hysterical reaction to that"

Zuko seemed a little irritated at her words, but he didn't miss the smirk that now decorated his girlfriend's face. He found himself smiling too as he embraced her, and to his relief, she didn't reject him as he'd expected her to do. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, trying to make up her mind… should she forgive Azula? Could she forgive her?

…

Aang led Appa straight towards the outer skirts of the Fire Nation's Capital, where the huge Sky Bison landed with one of his trademark groans. Aang jumped off the saddle with Momo flying right next to him, and he patted Appa's huge snout, smiling.

"Thanks for bearing with me, buddy! I know it was a long trip, but you can finally rest now" he said, and Appa replied to him with a lick at his face.

"AANG!" yelled a well known female voice, racing towards them

The Avatar turned around with a broad smile in his face. Oh, how he'd missed Katara during this long week… The waterbender ran at full speed, also beaming, and he opened his arms towards her, offering her an embrace, which she accepted gladly as she threw herself to his arms. Aang had grown during these years, and now he was slightly taller than her, a factor that allowed him to lift his beloved girlfriend from the ground while he hugged her, making her spin around in the air due to his enthusiastic response. Katara's arms surrounded Aang's neck as she laughed cheerfully, basking in the happiness of seeing him once more.

Aang finally set her once more in the ground, and Katara drew him closer for a kiss, which Aang replied to with much passion. After breaking off the contact due to the need for air, both of them smiled at each other, their foreheads still linked

"I'm so glad you're back…" she said, but then she shifted her happy smile to a frown "You jerk! How could you leave for such a long trip without saying a proper goodbye to me?"

"I'm sorry!" said Aang, smiling guiltily as he hugged her again "I was a fool, Katara! But don't worry, I'm back to stay this time, and if I have to leave again, I'll say goodbye as I should!"

"You won't" muttered Katara "Because I'll be going with you!"

Aang laughed and hugged her even tighter, as her frown vanished again and another smile appeared in its stead. They held each other for a while, merely enjoying the closeness they felt in that very moment…

"You're finally back, Twinkle Toes!" exclaimed Toph, cutting across the moment as she approached them "It was about time! Um… am I interrupting anything?"

"We'll get back to it later" said Katara, smiling a little as she separated from Aang

"Yeah, you'd better postpone it" said Toph, with her hands on her hips "I don't want you two to give me any oogies right now"

"Not now? When can we give them to you, then?" asked Aang playfully, and Toph threw a rock at him with a swift movement. The rock wasn't too big, but since Aang didn't really see it coming, it knocked him down to the ground

"Stop your silly jokes, Twinkle Toes, or I'll bend a whole mountain at you next" she grunted

"Jeez, why so cranky?" asked Aang, while Katara helped him up

"You couldn't even fight back when I threw that rock at you" accused Toph "How exactly do you plan to face me when you're doing your test, huh?"

"Well, we don't know anything about that test yet…" said Aang "So I'll just train and we'll see how to deal with it when we know what it'll be about, see?"

"Whatever you say, Twinkle Toes… but there's something else that's bugging me too" admitted Toph

"What's the matter?" asked Katara, surprised

"I… I could actually bend a mountain of earth straight at Aang if I only walk a couple of miles south" muttered Toph

"And… that bothers you? It should bother me! You should be glad instead!" said Aang, staring at her in horror

"That's not the point" said Toph "Why would there be a mountain of earth where there used to be none? How did it get there and… why do I feel Haru's presence right in front of it?"

"Haru?!" asked Katara, surprised "That is weird… Why is Haru here? I thought he was home with his father!"

"That's the reason why I'm troubled, Katara" said Toph, frowning "And what on earth is he doing anyway? He's in front of a huge pile of earth, and he's bending it… at least, that's what I'm sensing from here"

"Let's go see what he's up to" said Aang, and he led the way towards the Earthbender

It took the three of them about ten minutes to reach the spot where Toph had sensed Haru, and when they finally did, they were all aghast at seeing the mountain of earth she had mentioned. It spread out for half a mile at least, and it was around eleven-foot tall at its smallest peaks.

"W-what is this?" asked Aang, and Haru's head suddenly popped out from the edge of the mountain, and he stared at them, surprised.

"Hey, guys! I didn't expect you to come here!" he told them with a welcoming smile

"What are you doing here, Haru?" asked Katara "It's not like you're not allowed to come, but… why are you here, and what are you doing?"

"There's no need to worry" said Haru, smiling "I'm merely fulfilling my job to make tons of earth disks, just as it was requested of me"

"W-what?" said Toph, surprised "Why are you doing that?" she asked, as they all walked towards Haru.

Aang and Katara stared in awe at the three tall piles of identical earth disks that Haru had managed to make already. He had taken off his shirt and was sweating a lot after working so hard, but he seemed quite enthusiastic as he bended another amount of earth to transform it in another earth disk

"I'm just doing this because… they asked me to" said Haru, compressing the earth to the best of his ability "And by them… I mean your brother, Katara, and his creepy new girlfriend... I still don't get why the two of them are together"

"WHAT?!" asked Toph, clearly offended "Sokka asked you to do this? Why didn't he ask me?! I was right here! He could have just asked!"

"This is weird…" muttered Aang, frowning "This doesn't even make sense. Why would they bother bringing Haru here if we already had Toph? And why ask him to do something like this?"

"I heard them mention something about a test you had to undergo…" muttered Haru "Maybe that's the answer to your questions, huh?"

Katara clenched her fists in anger, looking at the ground as if her stare could open a hole on it.

"She's plotting something, something bad. I know she is, and Sokka's stupid enough to get dragged through it all"

"Well… not to sound too disheartening, Katara, but I don't know how much of an evil plan could stand behind having Haru make earth disks" said Toph, shrugging "All I'm annoyed at is that they didn't even bother asking me to do it…"

"Well, why don't you try bending those disks?" asked Katara, frowning "You can tell they're not normal rock, can't you?"

"Well, they came from normal rock, I'm merely compressing it!" said Haru happily, as he finished one of the disks. As he bended it with difficulty to put it on top of the nearest pile, Toph stopped him and bended the stone herself, and she was surprised to realize how heavy it was

"Wow… this is weird. It's so small that there's no way to think this is actually as heavy as it is…"

"How heavy is it?" asked Aang, amazed

"So heavy you wouldn't be able to bend it" said Toph with a smirk, ruining Aang's mood

"Hey!" he muttered, annoyed

"It's about the weight of a tall stone pillar" she said "The earth is so compact within the disk that it makes it really heavy…"

"I guess my work's going well, then!" said Haru, and he started to bend another disk

"So this has something to do with my test, huh?" said Aang, thoughtful

"You know what?" said Katara, snapping "I'm sick and tired of all the secrecy behind this test! I didn't agree with it for starters! I'm going to give Azula a piece of my mind and figure out what she's plotting now; who's with me?"

Aang stared at the girl with a little worry, and Toph dropped the earth disk on top of the nearest pillar.

"Fine, I'll go" she said "I want to know why they didn't choose me for this; I'd be done bending that mountain in two minutes"

"Hey!" grunted Haru, clearly offended by her harsh claim

"Katara… aren't you trying to confront her for another reason?" asked Aang, raising an eyebrow

"What? Isn't my motive clear enough?" asked Katara, crossing her arms

"Why don't you two sweethearts spare me your lover's spat and argue after we're done with asking Zuko's crazy sister about what she's trying to do?" said Toph, while walking towards the Capital once again, barely caring about leaving both Aang and Katara behind

"Fine…" said Katara, and she followed Toph without a second thought.

Aang was about to join them, but he turned around towards Haru

"Aren't you coming?"

"Why would I go with you?" asked Haru, surprised "I'm only doing what I was told to, and I fear that if I stop I might get burned by crisp-hot blue flames…"

Aang smiled a little and nodded on his direction

"Alright, stay here and keep up with the good work!" he said, as he sprinted towards the other two girls.

Haru nodded and faced his earth disks once more as Aang reached Katara. Toph had gotten ahead of them, which Aang interpreted as her allowing the two of them to discuss what he'd been trying to ask her earlier

"Katara… you're sure Azula's still the same evil girl she was back when she chased us all over the place" said Aang "But maybe you should try to give her a chance… it won't kill you to do that, you know?"

"Give her a chance? Oh, please, Aang! You guys are all too happy to forgive all these crazed Fire Nation Princes! I won't deny it was the right thing to do with Zuko, but Azula's completely different!"

"But don't you trust Sokka? He's the one who believes in her the most…"

"How could I trust him if he's been brainwashed by her, Aang?" asked Katara "Sokka isn't who he used to be either…"

"Well, people do change. If you can notice it in Sokka, maybe you could notice it on Azula as well…"

"What are you, a member of her fan club?" asked Katara "Why do you insist on making her look like a poor girl who's trying to improve as a human being when she clearly isn't?!"

"Katara, stop being so headstrong on this" said Aang "Honestly, I think the reason you're so mad at her is because Sokka's with her, and you believe she'll hurt your brother"

"Well, what's wrong with that?!" asked Katara "I don't want him hurt, especially by the likes of her!"

"If that's the case, why don't you talk to him?" said Aang

"Oh, why would I even bother?" said Katara "He won't listen to anything I have to say about his precious girlfriend"

"Maybe he will, Katara" said Aang "But you have to promise me you'll listen to him too. You can't close your mind to the possibilities"

"Whatever…" muttered Katara

"Then… you'll talk to him when we get there?" asked Aang

"I guess I will… I have to make him see what I think before all of this gets worse" said Katara

Aang nodded and they sped up their pace, catching up to Toph, who had actually heard the whole conversation but pretended she hadn't. She really didn't want to get involved in their argument, but she was partial towards Katara's position. She had been quite willing to trust Zuko, since he was easy to read… but even now Azula could be simply lying in the same way she had during the Invasion, even when her feelings for Sokka seemed so real. It was too difficult to understand a girl such as Azula, and Toph feared Katara would be completely right at believing she wouldn't change, no matter what…

The three of them walked up inside the castle and headed towards Azula's favorite room, where Toph sensed she and Sokka were. Aang frowned a little, wondering if they should intrude or not… but Katara didn't falter not even once. She opened the door without even bothering to knock, and she walked in the room with strong strides. Sokka had been standing right in front of a table, staring at more and more scrolls with their plans for the test, and Azula was sitting opposite to him, playing with her hair until Katara stormed in.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked the Fire Nation Princess, staring at the group with anger, as she stood up. Sokka only looked at them, puzzled "You're not allowed to walk in here as you please. Get out, all of you!"

"I'm not going anywhere" grunted Katara, staring at Azula with a frown. Her blue eyes crashed against Azula's amber ones, almost as water and fire battling each other with ferocity. The enemity existent between of them was about to be resolved, here and now.


	8. 8: Discussion No 1

"Woah! Steady, both of you!" said Sokka, stepping forward to stand between both girls, who seemed ready to beat each other up "Don't do this! Please, keep calm, there's no reason not to be reasonable!"

Azula frowned, still staring at Katara with hatred. But she withdrew herself slowly, still with her gaze fixated upon the Water Tribe girl, who seemed surprised to see her pass on such a great chance to fight her once again.

"Well played, Sokka" complimented Aang, smiling a little

"Why are you guys in here?" asked Sokka, surprised

"Haven't you even heard of the concept of knocking, at the very least?" asked Azula with disdain on her voice

"I thought we should knock, but Katara blasted through the door before I could even think…" muttered Aang, smiling awkwardly

"Oh, cut out the meaningless chatter" said Azula "At least explain why you believed you had the right to enter this room uninvited, will you?"

"We want answers, Azula" said Katara "And we want them now! What are you planning to do on that test? Why did you bring Haru here? What's going on here?"

"Waaaait" said Sokka "You're seriously flipping out just because of the test? Katara, there's nothing for you to worry about! And Haru's…!"

"That's not the only thing in Katara's mind, Sokka…" said Aang "You two need to talk, seriously"

Sokka raised an eyebrow, staring at his sister with some discomfort. The angry look on Katara's face made him wonder if having a conversation with her wouldn't result in the girl screaming at him without listening to anything he'd try to say…

"Well… okay" said Sokka, gulping "What do we have to talk about?"

"In private" muttered Katara, gritting her teeth

"I'm sure anything you need to tell him can be conveyed in front of all of us" said Azula, defying her rival.

"I don't think so" said Aang

"B-but… why not?" asked Sokka nervously "I mean, how bad can a nice little conversation be…?"

Katara rolled her eyes and took her brother by the wrist, dragging him outside. Azula didn't seem comfortable at all while seeing him leave, but she didn't protest; she believe she could perfectly handle both the Avatar and the blind girl on her own.

"One annoyance gone, two to go" she muttered, staring at them coldly "What will it take to have you both leave this room?"

"Why do you want us out so badly?" asked Toph, raising an eyebrow "Is this room sacred for some reason?"

"It is for me" growled Azula.

"Well, we want to ask you some questions" said Aang "So we can either ask you here, or ask you on another room, but we won't leave without answers"

Azula sighed and shook her head, irritated. She hated to be forced out of her room in this manner; it was ridiculous of the Avatar and his buddies to show up uninvited, expecting her to keep up with their demands… but she didn't want anyone here. This place was very important for her, and she didn't want it to be tainted with the presences of others.

"Fine" she grunted, leaving the room and locking it once the other two were outside too.

"Where should we…?" started Aang, but Azula walked towards the room in front of them without even listening to him. She opened the door and gestured them to enter it.

Toph immediately got as comfortable as she could, sitting on the very couch were Sokka had been the day before when he'd felt sick. Both Aang and Azula remained on their feet, neither too willing to remain in the room for too long.

"So? What business do you have with me?" said Azula

"Well, Katara pretty much asked most of them for us" said Toph "Why do you guys have Haru bending earth disks outside the city?"

"I don't wish to answer that" said Azula, frowning "You don't need to know yet"

"And when do we get to know?" asked Aang, staring at her with the same defiant look she had on her face "You two are taking this test way too seriously, and you're being too secretive about it. Why can't you guys just tell us what you're planning?"

"We can't say it as simply because it's not completely planned out yet, which reminds me of the reason why you left… I've only just realized you're actually back. How did your search go? Did you find an adequate place to hold the test?"

"Oh, I completely forgot about that!" said Aang, striking his forehead with the palm of his hand "Yes, yes! I have it! The Earth Rumble is available for us to use!"

"Earth Rumble?!" repeated Toph, sitting up now "Awesome! Oh, I've been waiting to kick some lame people's butt again while on that arena! Yeah, no one stands a chance against me!"

Azula raised an eyebrow, surprised

"You will only be fighting one opponent this time, and if you wish to call the Avatar lame, it's your choice. Your friendship always seemed very strange to me anyways"

"Well, he is a little lame from time to time…" said Toph, angering Aang

"That's not fair, Toph! I'm not lame, and…! Wait… you said she'll only fight me? That means I'll only fight her?"

"Who said it was a mutual situation?" asked Azula, smirking "You'll be fighting three people at once, little Avatar, whether you like it or not"

Both Toph and Aang were in shock after Azula's words. Then… it would be Aang against three masters. How could he come out of this in one piece? He'd be crushed flat, and if he wasn't supposed to go into the Avatar State, he wouldn't be able to protect himself at all!

"W-wait a second, how exactly does that work?" asked Toph "There's no way Aang could stand up against all of us! Actually, I don't think he'd even be able to fight me evenly! So how could he battle against Zuko, Katara and me and survive?"

"Oh, so you don't trust the Avatar's strength?" teased Azula "That's a pity, little Avatar. I was sure your friends believed in you"

"At this point, not even I would believe in myself!" said Aang "Fighting the three of them at once would be impossible! They'd destroy me, especially if I can't airbend or go into the Avatar State!"

"Too bad" said Azula, shrugging "It seems you'll never be able to prove if you're a real master of all four elements. Sokka and I struggled while trying to set the rules for a good, complex and fair test, but if you can't handle it…"

"Fair?! Three on one would never be fair!" yelled Aang

"Wait… what rules?" asked Toph, frowning

"I don't know, you tell me. It seems you guys believe you have a better idea for the test, so I'm all ears. Tell me, what brilliant plan do you have in mind? Battling out against my stupid brother until he faints of exhaustion? Fighting the Water Tribe peasant until she says she loves you far too much to hurt you anymore? And I would add a sarcastic comment about you as well, "she said, looking at Toph "but you're strong and you wouldn't go easy on the Avatar, so I'll spare you"

"Uh… thanks?" said Toph, slightly confused

Aang didn't seem amused at all by Azula's claims, but he sighed and raised his arms in signal of surrender

"Fine, fine, if you believe your test is fair then I guess it must be… but why won't you explain it already? I'm at my limit here! You two have been planning for a week, and that's driving me insane!"

"You won't be forced to do anything shameless, stop worrying so much" said Azula

"I just want to know! Is that too much to ask?!" yelled Aang, at the ends of his patience.

Azula played with her left bang for a little while pondering the answer to the Avatar's question

"It is, actually… but since you took the time to go all the way to Gaoling to let us use the Earth Rumble, I'll let you in on the first question which you wanted me to answer" decided Azula, surprising both Toph and Aang

"You really will?" asked the Avatar, in shock

"You don't want me to?" countered Azula, and Aang shook his head vigorously

"That's not what I meant! Sure I want to!"

"Good. Very well, the reason why we sought out Haru rather than the little Bandit here was because we were under the impression that she was training, so we believed it would be better to leave her be. And he's bending earth disks because that's what you'll be bending on your test."

Aang and Toph were surprised after her words, which didn't seem to be the reaction Azula wanted to see, despite knowing she couldn't have expected anything else to happen. She sighed impatiently and stared at them with clear irritation in her eyes

"Well, are you happy now? Will you stop pestering me with your questions?"

"Y-you said we'll bend that…?" repeated Toph "W-what do you mean?! If we're going to be at Earth Rumble, we have to have tons of other earth to bend!"

"Wrong" said Azula "The only earth that you'll be allowed to bend will be the earth disks, whether you like it or not"

"OF COURSE I DON'T LIKE IT!" yelled Toph "That's just ridiculous! Are you two psychos out of your mind, or you're too much in love to think straight?! Argh, this is so infuriating!"

"Calm down, Toph…" said Aang "There has to be a good explanation behind this"

"Oh, I assure you there is one. But I won't bother saying it now, you won't understand anything either way" said Azula, staring at her nails

"B-but…" said Aang

"I said I would answer your first question, Avatar" grunted Azula, staring at Aang with cruel eyes "And I already have. So… why don't you two run along and let me go back to my room?"

"What's with you and that room?" asked Toph, frowning and crossing her arms "Is that the first place you and Sokka made out in or something?"

It was the first time Aang had seen the proud princess blushing madly, staring at Toph in disbelief with a very funny an unusual expression on her face

"W-what did you just…?! Oh, that's all I'm taking from the two of you!" she yelled "Leave now and stop annoying me, will you?!"

Toph couldn't help but smirk. Embarrassing the Fire Nation Princess like she just had done wasn't something people could do easily, but if the girl would insist on limiting Toph's earthbending material, she wouldn't just lay low and let Azula get away with everything… and this was the best way to get back at her.

"Oh, so I really got that right? Or maybe you two were onto something far crazier than that, who knows?" said Toph

"That's enough, Toph" muttered Aang, just as Azula started to lose her nerve completely "L-let's just go, shall we?"

"Go where?" asked Toph, lying down on the couch with complete ease "I'm fine here! Let's just take a day off, shall we?"

Azula stared at her, enraged. She seemed to be even willing to throw a lightning bolt at the blind girl, but surprisingly enough, she repressed the urge.

"Fine, stay there, peasant!" she grunted "But if either of you dare to enter that room once again, I'll burn you to cinders!"

Aang gulped as Azula stormed out of the room, slamming the door after her. Toph smiled, though, stretching her toes happily.

"That was fun" she said

"I wouldn't do that again, if I were you…" suggested Aang

"Oh, come on, Twinkle Toes. You'll take away the fun in life if you don't let me annoy people with short tempers!"

"You annoy the ones with short tempers and the ones with long tempers as well" said Aang, but then he frowned "Is that the right way to go about it…? Long tempers?"

"Relax, Twinkle Toes" said Toph, beaming "Enjoy your freedom while you can… because I think you'll need to train a thousand times harder if you're actually supposed to fight against three opponents"

Aang sighed and nodded; allowing himself to fall on another couch while in deep thought of what would he have to endure on that dreadful test that was looming over him…

Meanwhile, the Fire Nation Princess returned to her favorite room and locked the door shut. If Sokka survived the conversation with his sister, he'd have to knock before coming in, and once he was inside, she'd lock the door for good. She was glad to have freed herself from the Avatar and his awfully persistent and nosy friend, but now she could only worry about Sokka… Would his sister try to poison him against her? Would she try her very best to convince him that their relationship was wrong…? Azula didn't even need to think about it twice, she knew people well, and she didn't need to be as talented as she was at judging others to know Katara wanted her far away from her brother…

But the one thing troubling her was that Sokka might get swayed by her. If he believed her, it would probably mean her downfall once again… The world had changed far too much for her liking, and she still had to deal with the frustrations that dwelled deep within her soul, threatening to rot her if she dared show any weakness. Those frustrations and troubles caused her almost unbearable pain, but lately, the agony had been fading away, slowly, but surely, and a certain somebody was responsible for this. She would never tell him so directly, but the only reason she fought so hard to become a better person was for Sokka's sake.

She'd be completely lost without him.

_I am very sorry for all of you who thought Katara and Azula were going to beat each other black and blue, but that can't happen within the Royal Palace! Zuko would banish both of them! (?) Okay, okay, he wouldn't xD but don't fret, a real fight between those two might arise later on the story ^^ And on the next update you'll see how Sokka's little conversation with his sister went! Well, that's all for today! ^^_


	9. 9: Discussion No 2

_And here's what happened while Azula dealt with Aang and Toph… this isn't very funny, but at least I think I got these characters to understand each other better now, which is what I'm striving for now! ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Sokka didn't seem particularly excited to get dragged around by his younger sister, who hadn't let go of his wrist as she went about the Palace, searching for a good place to hold the conversation she wished to have with him. Eventually she found a secluded room and she forced Sokka into it, closing the door after herself.

Sokka sighed and walked towards the farthest window of the room, bracing himself somehow for the discussion he knew he'd be dealing with shortly.

"Well… what's going on, Katara?" asked Sokka, facing her now

Katara frowned and folded her arms.

"I think you know what's going on, don't you?"

"Uh… I know I'm supposed to be the genius in our group, but you can't expect me to read your mind just because I'm as smart as I…"

"Oh, please, Sokka! How can you be so naïve?!" asked Katara, flinging her arms in the air in desperation

"I'm being naïve?" he asked, raising en eyebrow "Well, you're being plain confusing! Spit it out already, what's your problem?"

"How can you possibly not know?!" asked Katara

"Well, I can imagine what it is, but you'd save up a lot of time if you would just talk rather than have me guess wildly" he said, staring at her with slight distrust "But okay, if you want me to say it, I will. I bet this is about Azula, isn't it?"

"Gee, what was your first clue?" said Katara, with as much sarcasm on her voice as she could muster, which was a lot.

"Can you cut it out?" asked Sokka "I'm the one who's supposed to be sarcastic and annoying!"

Katara frowned and stared at him in disgust

"Well? What do you have to say about her?" said Sokka, after realizing his sister didn't seem too prone to talk.

"That I DON'T trust your cute little girlfriend!" she exclaimed "She's the worst person ever, and you're completely blind about this, acting as if it weren't true!"

"I'm not acting as if what you're saying wasn't true" said Sokka "I don't need to, because it's not true! You don't know her as well as I do!"

"I think I know her better yet!" said Katara "Have you conveniently forgotten all she did to us while we were battling the Fire Nation? Did she convince you to let it all go just by batting her eyelashes at you?"

"Oh, please!" said Sokka, shaking his head "So you're saying you'll never forgive her, just like you said you wouldn't forgive Zuko. How can you be so thick-headed? Not everything is just the way you see it, Katara!"

"And why would it be the way you say it is?!" asked Katara "Sokka, you're being dragged around by someone who might just be using you for her own ends!"

"And you think I wouldn't know it if that was the case? How much of an idiot you think I am?"

"Clearly, you are a huge idiot!" said Katara

"I'm not an idiot!" yelled Sokka "I know what I'm doing; I knew what I was getting into when we first got together! Why do you insist on changing my mind?!"

"Because I don't trust her!" screamed Katara, at the ends of her patience "I can't even start thinking about trusting someone as evil and cruel as she is!"

"Oh, this is so ironic…" muttered Sokka "Did I get in your way when you were stupidly in love with Jet? I didn't trust the guy, and you didn't care at all!"

"Are you seriously going to use Jet as an example? That's the worst move you could have made!" said Katara "He was a prick, and I didn't see it, just like you can't see that Azula's an evil monster!"

"You don't know her, Katara!" grunted Sokka, frowning "Stop talking about her like that! You have no idea what she's been through!"

"Oh, so now she's a martyr! Now she's the one suffering, isn't she?! I can't believe you're saying so much nonsense! She caused us as much trouble as she could get away with, and she even killed Aang! Without the water from the Spirit Oasis, he would have been completely gone! And then what? Do you think the little perfect princess would have even bothered to look at you? Do you think she would have ever thought of you as a potential partner at all?!"

"She did all those horrible things, Katara, I know that!" exclaimed Sokka "But I've seen her true self! I've seen how much she's changed! You think I have forgotten all she did to us?! Of course I haven't! But that is in the past, Katara, you have to learn to let things go already! You're always focusing on what horrible things people did before, and you don't bother thinking of what they might be feeling like! You know, the truth is I could even bet Azula wants you to stop hating her so much! She wishes you could just let all your issues with her slide off, so that you could look at her for real and see that she's not the same she used to be!"

"Oh, sure I'll let them go" said Katara "But has she let them go? You think she doesn't hate me because of what I did? Sokka, I took everything she dreamed about, and I'm perfectly aware of that! I froze her up, I chained her and I defeated her, taking away the throne her father had promised her. Do you think SHE would ever bother forgiving ME?"

"You're just judging her without knowing anything, aren't you?" said Sokka, shaking his head "She apologized to Ty Lee for all the trouble she caused her, and that apology came from the heart! She really meant it! Do you think she doesn't repent for the terrible things she did?"

"And you think she repents for them all?" asked Katara "Sokka, please, think! She was raised to be a monster, to be unable to see the errors in her way!"

"And why can she see them now?!" asked Sokka "Not to mention, you just hit the main problem: she was raised by terrible parents! Her father only used her as a war tool; her mother never cared enough about her! And it's not like she had a nice uncle to take her under his wing, because Iroh only took Zuko as his own son! How can you expect anything else from someone with such horrible origins?! Azula has been suffering her whole life without even knowing it, because nobody ever bothered to love her for who she was!"

"And you do?" asked Katara, skeptical "Sokka… what you've said is true, and I won't deny I do feel bad for both her and Zuko, because they really had a terrible upbringing… but that doesn't change the fact that she uses people, that she knows how to manipulate others, that she always has everything go her way because there's people like you who lower your guard because she's so pretty, so perfect, so helpless and lonely that you can't help but put out your hand so that she can grab onto it! But you don't ever think that when you're the one down, she won't be helping you up! She only cares about herself!"

"You're wrong" said Sokka, lowering his head "She's much more selfless than you think, and… you're wrong about something else"

"Oh, really? About what, now?" asked Katara, irritated

"She's not perfect" said Sokka, staring at his sister with the most serious eyes she'd ever seen him show.

Katara seemed shocked to hear him say such words about Azula. Everyone considered her to be completely perfect, how could he say she wasn't with so much ease when he was in love with her?

"She's been through a lot, and yes, maybe she hasn't seen all the errors in her way; she can make mistakes, yes she can, and it's very likely she'll make them very often. But if no one helps her see that she's messing up, how do you expect her to become a better person? Katara, I know you don't like her, and I'm not asking you to like her! I mean, I'm not even that comfortable with you and Aang because you two are too snuggly and you give me so many oogies… but whatever I say won't affect what you want, won't change the way you feel towards him and most certainly won't have you break up with him at all! And it's not like I want you to, because I'm sure the two of you make each other the happiest you've ever been! But that's the same thing you could apply to me and Azula. I mean, I've been with other girls before, and I've loved them… but what I feel for her is stronger and deeper than anything I've felt for anyone in my entire life! I know she's dangerous, I know she could burn me up if she gets angry at me, I know she'd be prone to banishing me if I do something out of bounds… but I still want to be with her. I want to be by her side and help her become a better person, slowly, but surely. Because, if I don't do this… who will? Zuko's too busy being Fire Lord, and let's face it, he's not entirely over the fright his sister caused him in the past. Aang's the Avatar, and he's got other things to do. Ty Lee is too soft, Mai is too strict… who could deal with this other than me, Katara?

The girl lowered her gaze as well, and she sighed slowly

"If you put it that way it makes some more sense, but still, Sokka… I… I don't really think I could ever trust her at all. I mean… what if she's actually manipulating you without you noticing…? W-what if… if she takes my brother away from me…?" she asked, sobbing slightly.

Sokka was surprised. He had not expected her to break down like this, let alone did he expect her enmity towards the Fire Nation Princess be based on concern for his wellbeing. He'd always thought Katara was acting only upon her despise towards Azula, rather than upon her love for him. He smiled a little and hugged his younger sister, who wept in his arms, quietly

"She won't do that, Katara. I promise you that I'll always be here for you, no matter what. You won't get rid of me and my lame jokes so easily, Katara" he said, making her laugh a little "Still… I know I can't have you trust her, but trust me instead. In all honesty, I believe in her, and I believe she wants to amend her mistakes. All she needs is someone who's willing to give her the chance to gain redemption, and I think I'm that someone. I'll take care of myself, Katara, you don't need to worry about that; I really will be fine… and I'll do the best I can to stay by her side and help her become the best version she can be of herself. Is that okay with you?"

Katara nodded slowly, and she muttered a small reply

"Y-you'd better be right about all this, Sokka… Or else I'll be saying 'I told you so', and you don't want me to do that…"

Sokka laughed and nodded as well

"Don't worry; I'm completely sure of this. But I'm really surprised, Katara… I never thought that your opposition towards my relationship with her was because you were worried about me!"

Katara rolled her eyes and separated from him

"And why do you think I opposed you two so much? Because I wanted you to stay with Suki…? Oh, well, who am I kidding? Of course I wanted that! But… it really is your life, isn't it? You're the one who gets to choose… and I'll respect that. I just wanted to make sure you weren't with her for the wrong reasons…"

"Well, I guess everything's been cleared up now, Katara" said Sokka, patting his sister on the head

"N-not everything…" said the girl "We actually did want to know why Haru was here…"

"I'm sure Azula already told the others" said Sokka, smiling

"And you can't tell me?" asked Katara, raising an eyebrow with suspicion

"Eh… I was a little busy, and explaining this might take a while! S-so… I think you should ask them!" said Sokka, nervously

Katara rolled her eyes again and hugged her brother one more time

"Thanks for hearing me out. I'm not entirely convinced yet, but… I do hope you're right about all you said and all you think of her"

"Yeah, I'm glad we talked this through" said Sokka, embracing his sister as well "It was about time we did. I could tell you were being too cranky lately, even when I wasn't sure of why…"

"Sorry" said Katara "I just… got carried away by my emotions"

"As usual" mocked Sokka, and she punched him on the shoulder "HEY! You're spending way too much time with Toph!"

Katara laughed, and Sokka found himself joining her shortly. To his surprise, after all the yelling and arguing, things seemed to have been solved pretty nicely for once…

After making sure everything would be fine with Katara, Sokka headed directly towards the room where he'd been with Azula previously, but he didn't find her inside. He would have continued searching for her, but his stomach began growling; he needed some food right away.

…

Sokka spent hours eating crazily at the palace's lunch hall, which wasn't something the servants looked forward to. Sokka was a gluttonous young man, and he made them work at least five times more than any other person they had to serve. Meanwhile, Azula had left to her own room. She had the habit of sleeping early, therefore she thought she'd head to bed immediately after taking a bath, but someone knocked on the door right before she tucked in.

"Do you have some time for this lowly peasant?" asked Sokka, smiling after opening the door.

Azula raised an eyebrow, pondering his request

"Sadly for you, I don't. What are you here for, peasant? Do you want me to banish you for stopping me from going to bed?"

"Oh, come on! You sleep too much!" said Sokka, to her slight annoyance

"I don't sleep too much! My sleeping routine is perfectly normal; it's regular and adequate for a Princess such as me"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say" said Sokka, still grinning after getting to her nerves again

"Are you here only to annoy me?" asked Azula "Because I think your blind friend already surpassed the amount of mockery I can stand for a day"

"Do I want to know what she did?" asked Sokka, approaching Azula, who sat on a couch she had in the room

"I rather doubt it" muttered Azula, as he sat next to her "Well…? How did it go?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her so concerned over his conversation with Katara

"I didn't know you really would care so much… But it went better than I thought it would"

"Well, that is a relief… and why wouldn't I care?" asked Azula "I can imagine what sort of things she said to you about me, it's not so hard to picture it…"

"Well, it does seem like you both have very bad opinions about each other, huh?" said Sokka, smiling with some discomfort "But you're right, she did say lots of things about you…"

"And…? Did you listen to her advice…?" asked Azula, clearly worried

Sokka smiled and surrounded her shoulders with an arm

"I did, but she listened to what I had to say as well, and she will respect my decisions. And I've decided to stay with you, no matter if nobody else can understand this"

Azula seemed completely relieved. She nodded and let her head fall on Sokka's shoulder, incredibly glad to know he'd stay by her side.

"But woah… I'm really impressed over how easy it is to solve problems when you get in a nice conversation…" said Sokka

"You think that only by talking you can solve all the problems in the world?" asked Azula, her mind drifting towards her own issues

"No, not just by talking; by listening and accepting what others have to say as well" said Sokka, with such wisdom that it didn't really sound much like him

"Well, well, what's this? The small peasant is trying to talk as if he were some sort of spiritual guide? Is your goal in the future to become a guru, or a councilman maybe?" she teased him, to his irritation

"Hey!" he said, pouting while she smirked with her trademark cruelty "You're just so… s-so… You know what?! You'll be paying for that!"

"W-what do you…?"

To Azula's surprise, Sokka threw himself at her and tickled her, something she'd never experienced before. And to both their surprises… she was more sensitive to it than she should have been

"W-what is this…? S-Sokka, stop!" she squealed between giggles, therefore Sokka didn't stop

"Oh, no! This is your punishment for making fun of my wisdom, little evil princess!" claimed Sokka, attacking her sides harshly and making her scream with laughter

"C-CUT IT OUT, I SAID…! AHAHAHAHA!" she let out, while trying to push him off her. Sokka finally stopped, while also laughing himself. They'd ended up horizontally on the couch now, with him on top of her while she still panted for breath

"Well, apologize for your meanness, or I'll do it again!" he said, raising his arms with a menacing grin

"N-no! D-don't! Alright, I won't say anything like that again!" she said, while still laughing.

"Good!" said Sokka "It's probably the first time I beat you at something like this, huh?"

Azula gave him a scornful stare, but she couldn't stop smiling anyways. Sokka stared at her, at first just feeling all high-and-mighty… but now he was completely mesmerized. Yes, this was exactly what he'd meant when he had told Katara that he knew Azula better than most people, when he said that he'd seen how much this girl had changed. And to think that such a beautiful smile only belonged to him…

"What…?" asked Azula, surprised at the sudden emotion that had appeared on Sokka's eyes.

"I was just thinking that I'm the luckiest guy in the world… Because I can get to see your wonderful smiles"

Azula blushed slightly and caressed his cheek as he closed in for the kiss he hadn't managed to give her back when Haru had arrived. She replied to him with softness, surrounding his neck with her arms while enjoying the closeness to its best…

"T-the only reason I get to smile like this… is you" she said, once he pulled back a little.

Sokka grinned happily and embraced her as they rolled slightly on the couch. Azula closed her eyes and let herself relax completely in his arms while resting her head on his chest, feeling safer than ever.


	10. 10: Conversations To Remember

No matter how hard she tried to find a comfortable position, it was impossible for her to sleep properly tonight. Azula rolled over on her bed non-stop, but there seemed to be no way for her to close her eyes and drift into unconsciousness… and despite not wanting to accept it, she was pretty sure she knew why she was going through this insomniac period…

After Sokka left the room, she had gotten into bed immediately, at first just thinking happily about him… Eventually she went back to their conversation, and a certain part of their dialogue replayed on her head

"_I'm really impressed over how easy it is to solve problems when you get in a nice conversation…"_

"_You think that only by talking you can solve all the problems in the world?"_

"_No, not just by talking; by listening and accepting what others have to say as well"_

After she'd recalled that very wise phrase of his, she had been unable to close her eyes and drift away calmly, because the one problem that could keep her awake at night might just get solved if she took his advice seriously… She wanted to approach Mai and talk to her, but it wouldn't work if she was the only one willing to listen. How could she know Mai would bother to hear her? How could she know if Mai would forgive her at all? It was absolutely improbable; actually, it neared the boundaries of impossible.

But she knew she'd regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't give it a try.

Almost unwillingly, Azula got off her bed and sighed as she walked to the door of her room. She wondered the Palace Halls slowly, stopping at times as the pessimist side of herself told her how much of a waste of time this was going to be. Actually, she feared that if she didn't regret never talking to Mai, she'd end up regretting talking to her… It seemed that, no matter what road she took, she'd be unable to prevail on this particular operation.

Still, there was one more reason that kept her hopeful, which made her believe she had to do her best at getting on Mai's good side once again: Ty Lee. It was more than obvious that the girl was suffering because of her two best friends, and if she had the chance to change that, she would take it. Ty Lee had always been by her side, no matter what the world saw her like. Ty Lee had wanted to forgive her, she had wanted to stay friends with her, and she probably owed her a great part of her sanity, since knowing that Ty Lee cared about her had been a good enough incentive for her to attempt to change, to become a person worthy of her friendship.

Encouraged by these thoughts, she managed to reach the room Mai used when she stayed in the palace. She had been sleeping over for a while now, even when her house was only a walk away, but this only made everything easier for Azula, who wouldn't be too comfortable leaving the palace at night. Not even everyone inside the castle liked her nowadays; the people outside surely believed her to be better off locked up either in jail or in a Mental Hospital, therefore it was a relief that Mai would stay over as often as she did.

Facing the door of the room, Azula lifted her hand towards the doorknob, but regretted doing so immediately. She was better off by knocking, right? Her hand curled on a small fist and she readied to hit the door… but she couldn't do it. She felt snakes twisting inside her stomach; nervousness was going to be the death of her. And who would have ever imagined her, the strong and ruthless Princess Azula, feeling like a schoolgirl who had been forced to apologize after being too naughty. With a sigh, she stepped away from the door and walked in circles for a while, trying to organize her ideas, but the more she thought about the matter, the more complicated it came to be. Maybe she should just take on the matter head first, like Zuko would… but then again, that was what set her apart from Zuko, and the one thing that made sure she wouldn't make as many mistakes as her brother was her ability to think through any scenarios, making her a master strategist. But her skills were being put to the test on this very moment, when she was about to face one of the biggest trials of her life: asking a valuable friend to forgive her.

But… how could she ask for her clemency? What would she say? What could she say that would assure her that she wouldn't come off as an idiot in front of her childhood friend? Desperation took control of her, the horrible feeling on her stomach grew wilder by the minute, and she started to wish she had never even gotten off her bed. She approached the wall and banged her head against it a couple of times, wondering if the hits would make her head work properly once more and leave behind all the many doubts there were within her…

"What are you doing?" asked Mai, staring at Azula with complete confusion.

Azula had just been about to bang her head one more time when she heard her. Mai hadn't been inside her room, she had spent a nice evening with Zuko and she was only reaching her dormitory now, but to find the Fire Nation Princess crashing her head against the wall wasn't something she has expected to see.

"Uh… I…" muttered Azula, walking away clumsily from the wall "I was merely checking the walls, making sure they're still on their best shape. This is an old palace; humidity might ruin it if we're too careless…"

Clearly, Mai didn't buy Azula's lame lie. Surely, the Princess' style of lying was still as smooth as ever, but her excuse had been so lame that it was impossible for her to buy such a ridiculous act. But, seeing as how inexplicable her presence was, she preferred to stop pushing the subject and she merely shrugged.

"Whatever" said Mai, staring at Azula, who didn't meet her eyes.

They stood on the hallway silently for what felt like hours, as they struggled to find the words they wished to convey at each other… but it was completely hopeless. Every thought was pushed away by fear of the other's reaction, every possibility seemed to hold in terrible consequences… but if they didn't speak now, they knew they never would.

"I just wanted to say that…" started Azula

"Ty Lee had told me that you…" muttered Mai at the same time as her friend, and they both halted upon realizing the other was talking as well.

"Uh… y-you can go first" said Azula, waving a hand a little impatiently

"N-no, you're the royal one here…" muttered Mai

"Right…" said Azula, folding her arms "Well, you see… You've known me forever, I think all the early memories of my life have you somewhere within them, and therefore you know what I'm like most of the time. It's easy to be a Princess when everything goes your way, when you can step on anyone who dares oppose you… but there was a very thin line drawn between what's right and wrong, and I've never been able to see it properly. People think I'm pure evil, they're certain of it because most of my decisions have been selfish and cruel, but nobody really wonders if there's some good in me at all…"

"What are you getting at?" asked Mai

"If I was completely rotten… I wouldn't feel sorry for what I've done, would I?" muttered Azula, with such emotion in her voice that Mai was shocked

"You feel sorry… for what, precisely?" asked Mai

"For every time I've hurt people I actually cared about" said Azula "For every time I used fear to control you… for all the horrible things you had to undergo while imprisoned because of what I ordered… I was a fool, Mai, and I regret everything I did, you don't have a clue of how badly I do"

"Ty Lee told me you had changed" said Mai, surprising Azula "I never actually believed her. But… seeing you now made me wonder if she was actually right. The only problem is… that I have known you for too long, Azula, and I know you're widely talented with faking anything. I'm sorry if you're actually being honest, but… I need more proof than this"

Azula nodded, and stared at her in the eye. Then, to Mai's utter bewilderment, she fell down to her knees and effected a reverence of the kinds she had only ever performed to honor her father, or her grandfather before him. Azula's head was completely tilted, letting Mai realize that for once, Azula cared not about being superior, but about being believed somehow.

"I apologize profusely, Mai… I never meant to let this end up the way it did. You were a most valuable friend despite I never treated you the way I should have. I'll understand if you never forgive me, it'd be the course of action I'd expect from a noble woman such as yourself, but I hope you can see that I'm not the same girl who you once were forced to follow. I've become a different person now, and I just wanted you to know it, so that you're aware now that I won't be forcing anything on you or anyone else ever again."

Mai had already been in shock when seeing Azula perform the most honorable bow at her, but her words really had some impact on her. Seeing the perfect princess discard her honor like this wasn't something that happened every day, actually, she had never seen Azula willing to lower herself for anyone before this. She had even been banging her head against the wall only seconds ago! Even when her words could be lies most of the time, she could see her true soul for once… and now she finally could believe Ty Lee's words: Azula had changed.

"Get off the floor already" muttered Mai, shaking her head "This is too inappropriate, it's making me sick"

Azula lifted her head a little, staring at her with concern

"W-well… y-you wanted proof, so I…"

"I know, and I'm sorry I made you believe you had to throw yourself on the ground like this" said Mai, smiling a little "It's not necessary, and it makes me feel like a complete moron. Get up already, this is embarrassing"

"Embarrassing to you?" asked Azula, while standing up again "I'd never bowed like this to anyone in over four years, I believe… and you're the one who's embarrassed?"

"That's exactly why I'm embarrassed" said Mai "I don't think the Fire Nation Princess should be bowing down to anyone, let alone me"

Azula smiled a little as well and looked at her tentatively

"Which means…?"

"It means I got the message" said Mai, smiling "It is all clear to me. I've known for a very long time now: you may lie with your words, but not with your acts. And seeing you bow down and bang your head against walls makes it pretty clear that you're really sorry"

"I-it does?!" asked Azula, amazed "Wait… you really did see me striking the walls with my head…?"

"Even Toph would have seen you" said Mai, smirking

"Oh, very funny" said Azula, slightly resentful "I'll let it slide, though… does this mean we're… friends, once again?"

"Despite whatever I might have said… I did miss those old times" admitted Mai "Things weren't perfect… but they were still fun. Now that you've changed, and now that I've taken you in, I bet Ty Lee will probably cry of happiness and beg for us to go around traveling the world again to celebrate the reestablishment of our group"

Azula chuckled and nodded

"I definitely can see that happening. She's so happy-go-lucky… and she really wanted me to talk to you"

"She told me lots of things about you" said Mai "We argued pretty badly when we were on the War Balloon. She was quite upset that I wouldn't forgive you properly"

"It seems like her dream finally came true, didn't it?" said Azula, smiling a little

"But there's a small thing that I'm still unable to understand…" said Mai

"What is it?" asked Azula, lifting an eyebrow

"Why are you dating Sokka?" asked Mai "I mean… Ty Lee liked him too, in case you didn't know"

"Oh, I knew" said Azula "But to your dismay, she was the one that encouraged me the most to give it a shot with him. She seemed to believe he was the perfect person to make me happy… and surprisingly enough, she was right. At times I wonder if Ty Lee isn't a genius in disguise…"

Mai laughed and nodded, agreeing completely with the words of the Princess

"At times it does seem like she is. Anyhow, I'm glad we finally talked this through"

"Me too" said Azula "There's a small favor I need from you, though…"

"What is it?"

"Don't let anyone know I bowed down to you" said Azula, flushing slightly "They might think I'm bending freely at anyone nowadays"

Mai laughed a little and nodded, patting her friend on the shoulder. To Azula's surprise, she found herself joining in the laughter, both of them enjoying the moment to its best, since they'd never been so free around the other before. Their friendship had finally been restored.

….

Haru had spent the night in the palace, to his relief. He had half expected to be sent off to an inn, but a servant of the palace had come to get him the day before and he was allowed to take a room for the night. Still, he was forced to get up really early to continue with his job, and with determination, he headed to the mountain he'd been told to bend. Up until now he had manufactured around 50 disks, but the mound of earth had barely even decreased. Haru began to work to the best of his ability, compacting earth powerfully and imitating the same design on each disk. The sun crept up higher and higher, and he felt locks of sweat dripping down his brow, but he continued working with enthusiasm. For some reason, this routine-like work was perfect for him, despite how repetitive it would seem for some.

Still, his enthusiasm suddenly turned into nervousness when he realized he was being watched. He didn't think the Fire Nation Princess really felt the need to have someone to keep an eye on him, did she distrust him so? The one who shouldn't trust anyone ought to be him… but somehow it didn't feel like he was actually being spied upon in a bad way… But the feeling was too troublesome, it made him lose control slightly and the disk he'd been bending and it dissolved clumsily as he turned around to look for whoever had been looking at him.

"Don't mind me!" said Ty Lee, walking towards him with her hands, to his total shock "I'm only watching, just keep bending!"

"W-why are you watching me?" asked Haru, surprised

"Because I really had nothing better to do" said Ty Lee "And you're handsome enough for me to want to spend lots of time near you!"

Haru blushed slightly and shrugged, trying to stop her words from getting to his head. Not every day he heard girls complimenting him like this… He attempted to continue bending his disk, but his feelings were in disarray, which caused his bending to weaken considerably

"Are you okay?" asked Ty Lee, after seeing the badly bent disk. It was slightly crooked, and the central square was considerably off its center.

"Y-yeah, I am… I'm just not used to having someone watching me as I bend…"

"You're not?" asked Ty Lee, sitting on the ground right next to him "Well, I'm used to watching people bending! It's the best way to study their techniques and to see the precise spots that I should hit to block their chi"

"Meaning you're only studying me?" asked Haru, feeling uncomfortable

"Oh, no! I don't need to study anymore!" said Ty Lee, smiling "I'm watching you because you're very cute!"

Haru felt the blood rushing on his head once more, but he shook it quickly, trying to hide his embarrassment somehow.

"Well… does that mean I'm just a crush?" asked Haru, smiling a little

Ty Lee was surprised to hear him asking something in such a bold manner, so she cast him a questioning look.

"W-why do you say something like that out of the blue…? I mean…" she started, but then the truth downed upon her "Oh… I get it…"

Haru chuckled and smiled at her

"Sorry, I guess that was out of bounds"

"N-no, it's okay. Actually, I'm the one who should apologize" said Ty Lee, scratching her head "We made you watch such a horrible argument… You shouldn't have witnessed something so awful"

"No need to apologize. I didn't mind, actually" said Haru "It was the only thing that made me see that I wasn't really getting kidnapped by two psychos from the Fire Nation… I mean, your friend did seem quite creepy, and I didn't like her non-forgiving attitude, but I saw how good-spirited you are. To be willing to forgive your friend despite whatever she might have done to you is quite moving, it let me realize you're really a good person"

"And you thought I wasn't?" asked Ty Lee, raising an eyebrow with disapproval

"It's pretty hard to have a good opinion about someone when she chi-blocked you and knocked you unconscious, don't you think?" said Haru

"Well played" said Ty Lee, smiling a little

"But the thing I'm wondering is… did you really not like Sokka that much, or did you give up on him because you cared more about your friend's happiness? If it's the second option, you're definitely one to admire"

"Well, you could actually say the first one applies to the situation" said Ty Lee, thoughtful "I mean… he's really cute, and his eyes are probably the dreamiest eyes I'd seen in my life! And the more I saw of him taking care of Suki, the more I grew to like him, the more I hoped I could find a man like him… but never him, truth to be told. He was pretty nice to me, but I really didn't stand a chance, especially against Azula and Suki…"

"May I ask how, exactly, did he end up with the crazy Princess rather than the awesome warrior?" asked Haru

"It's a pretty complicated story, if you want me to tell you the truth" said Ty Lee, smiling a little "I actually didn't even know who to root for! I mean, Azula's like the friend I've had for the longest, but Suki's nearly a sister to me now… I had no idea of who to support! Sokka is a great guy… I wish there had been two of him, so that neither of them had to suffer, but there's no chance of that happening, huh?"

"So…? He just chose Azula and that was it?" asked Haru, astonished

"It's not such a simple matter" said Ty Lee "But in a way, she needed him more. Actually, Azula wasn't going to force him to stick with her or anything, but he chose her by the end… I'm glad he did. He's been an amazing influence on her"

"Has he, now?" asked Haru "Last time I checked, she was still the same cocky and creepy girl that snuffed me and the rest of the gang out of the Western Air Temple…"

"Then I don't know when did you check" stated Ty Lee, folding her arms "I don't care what anyone else thinks, I've known Azula for a very long time, and I can tell she's different now. She's become a much better person"

"W-well, if you say so, I'll believe you. But you're still biased about her" said Haru, smiling a little

"Sure I am! Just as you'd be with anyone who's been your friend for your entire life!" said Ty Lee, staring at him with determination

"Oh, I can imagine that" said Haru "But you could say I'm not much of a friendly guy… I didn't make too many friends back home; barely anyone was my age, so I can't relate to what you're saying"

"W-wow… I didn't see that coming" said Ty Lee, surprised "Well… sorry, I guess…"

"Why would you apologize?" said Haru

"Because it seems I made you think of something that mustn't be nice… growing up without friends doesn't sound like much fun"

"True, it was pretty lonely" said Haru "But you can make amends for it by becoming my friend now, right?"

Ty Lee was surprised to see the handsome man smiling at her. A blush appeared on her face, something that wasn't very recurrent with her, and she replied with a smile of her own

"Of course I'll be your friend"

"I'm glad" said Haru, grinning "But can I be your friend? Or am I just a crush instead?"

"Who knows? Why can't you be both?" asked Ty Lee, without holding back at all

It was Haru's turn to blush as the girl laughed a little, relaxing with him. For some reason, talking to Haru seemed to be a great way to make her fears and doubts vanish, most of the weight she had on her shoulders seemed to loosen as she stared at his striking features. Maybe the moustache wasn't so bad after all…

"S-so…" said Haru, seeking to change the subject "I've been here bending all this time, but… have your friends reached a better place on their relationship, or are they still being cold at each other?"

"I have no idea" said Ty Lee "Honestly, I don't know if things will even get better. I wish they would, but it seems so unlikely…"

"If I were them, I'd talk this out" said Haru "You're clearly a valuable friend, and I'm sure neither of them would like to hurt you or lose you"

Ty Lee smiled and hugged her knees as she stared at him

"That's sweet. You're quite smooth for someone who didn't have many friends… unless you had a girlfriend you didn't mention and you learned how to treat her well, huh?"

"N-no, I didn't…" said Haru, blushing

"No?" said Ty Lee, eyeing him intently "Then… what about if…"

"Well, well, something pretty nice seems to be brewing up here. I was so sure you'd told me she was only infatuated because she found him handsome, but you didn't mention it was as serious as it looks, Mai" said a very familiar voice behind them

"It seems I miscalculated, huh?" said Mai, smiling

Ty Lee turned around in awe and absolute shock, and she saw her two best friends smiling down on her (or, in Azula's case, smirking).

"W-what…? W-what's going on here…?" she asked, completely impressed

"That's pretty much what I was wondering" said Azula "Are you going to marry the earthbender I hired? I haven't got any issues with that, but I do need him to focus on work once in a while. Come play with him at dusk, that's when he'll get a break, will you?"

Ty Lee flushed and stared at Azula with a little annoyance, but seeing her standing side by side with Mai was more than enough to make any negative emotion vanish. Haru, instead, blushed wildly at the mention on marriage. His father did believe he was already of marrying age, and this girl was actually a brilliant prospect… but it was too much to take all of sudden.

"Come on, Ty Lee" said Mai, stretching her hand towards her to pull her off the ground "Seems like something epic is about to be explained in the palace"

Ty Lee took her hand and stared at both girls with confusion

"F-first… why are you two so happy around each other now? And second… what are you talking about, Mai?"

"It seems like you were right" said Mai "We did need to talk things through"

"And we did" said Azula "Hopefully, your dream of having the three of us together again will come true now"

Ty Lee's eyes were overflowing with sentiments and tears now. She threw her arms around her two friends, who seemed a little surprised, but still they'd known how emotive Ty Lee could be whenever something moving happened.

"I'm so glad…! S-so glad…" she said, hugging them tightly

Haru smiled at the sight, happy to see that the girl's wish had come true. She deserved it, she would be an ideal friend to anyone, and she really had earned this much joy.

"It's okay, Ty Lee" said Azula, patting her on the shoulder "You can let go now…"

"Yeah, we'll be late for the big explanation" said Mai, pushing Ty Lee away

"Explanation of what?" asked the girl, puzzled

"It's finally time to let the world know what test the Avatar will undergo soon" said Azula, with a malicious smirk spreading on her face.

"You make it sound so exciting…" said Mai, with all the sarcasm she could demonstrate

Ty Lee smiled as she stared at both her friends. Some things had changed over time… but indeed, there were many things that would never change, and she was glad they wouldn't. The three of them were finally together once again.

_Finally, I got this one done! Sorry for the length :P I didn't think I should split it this time… So I didn't… but it came out waaaay too long XD anyhow, if you're wondering what is the "complicated" Ty Lee was referring to when talking about how Sokka and Azula got together, relax! I will write another fic once I'm done with this one, the prologue to this, which will be veeery Sokkla-ish! ^^ stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_


	11. 11: Explaining the Test

Patience was supposed to be a virtue, but it was nearly impossible for Azula to keep her cool as she waited along with the rest of the gang until his brother finally arrived. He seemed to have a knack for being late on every single appointment, despite the fact that she sent him a messenger to let him know this meeting would take place at noon. The same messenger had delivered the words to the rest of the group, and they were already waiting in the room Azula had summoned them to, but the Fire Lord was still absent.

"This is really unbelievable" grunted Azula "How many times does he plan on making us wait for him? Does he think he has the right to do this just because he's the Fire Lord?"

"D-don't give him such a hard time" said Sokka, smiling clumsily "I'm sure he's only late because he's busy doing Fire Lord stuff!"

"He overslept" said Mai, cutting off Sokka's attempt to defend his friend

"What?" asked Azula, her eyebrow twitching

"That's the reason why he's always late" said Mai "There are days where he can't sleep, and then there are others where he sleeps too much. You can beat him up for it if you'd like to, I won't stop you"

"Such irresponsible behavior…" said Azula, frowning

"Can't you cut him some slack…?" asked Aang

"Nah, don't cut him anything" said Toph "Just start without him, we'll explain everything to him later"

"We can't do that, Toph" said Katara "Zuko is as involved in this as the rest of us, so we'd better wait for him"

"Besides, if you guys were to explain, you'd probably leave out important things!" said Sokka, nodding in a very silly manner

"Why would we?" said Toph, confused

"This is a fairly complicated test" replied Azula "As a matter of fact, it will be hard to explain properly even for us"

"This doesn't sound good…" said Aang, gulping

The door of the room flew open and Zuko ran inside, his robes disheveled and his hair untidy.

"It seems you were completely right, Mai!" said Ty Lee, smiling "He did oversleep!"

"I-I didn't… I-it wasn't my fault!" he said, trying to recompose himself "I was hard at practice yesterday, I needed some rest!"

Azula exchanged a look with Mai, who didn't seem to support this theory. Azula smirked and shrugged

"Stop making up excuses and sit down already, Zuzu. We don't have any more time to waste with your blabbering" she said, standing up now.

Both her and Sokka were at one end of the room, several scrolls were hanging on the wall in the form of a flipchart, just as Sokka had organized his presentation while explaining the Invasion plans to the troops back in the old days. The rest of the group sat across them, in front of a short but large table with golden and red details all over it. Zuko sat between Mai and Aang, trying to keep himself from snapping at his sister. He was Fire Lord Zuko; he wasn't to be ordered by her ever again! But no matter how many times he tried to find the determination to stand up against her, something else would happen that wouldn't allow him to stand his ground…

"Very well, now that we're all here, we can begin" said Azula

"Thanks for coming, guys!" said Sokka "You're finally about to be enlightened! Yes, it's been a tough week for you, and it's been really tough on us as well, but after giving it a lot of thought, the best thing we could do right now was explain it all right away! So yeah… where to start…?"

"As you know, the Avatar will undergo a test, just as I suggested, with the purpose of certifying his mastery of all four elements. Sokka and I have been planning a very complex trial, which will be held on the Earth Rumble Arena in Gaoling. As for the rules, there are plenty of them, and I'm sure you won't be enjoying them much"

"Why wouldn't we…?" asked Aang

"Why would we?" muttered Toph "Rules are the worst thing ever!"

"Well, I figured you'd react like this" said Sokka, smiling in discomfort "Anyhow, let's start with the basics: Katara, Toph and Zuko will fight Aang at the same time, but by following all the rules we'll point out now"

"First of all" said Azula, approaching the first scroll that hung on the flipchart, where the stage had been drawn "The stage is divided in six sections. Three of them will be the Avatar's territory; the other will belong to the three masters, at least, at first. The goal of this test is to push your rival all the way to the back of the ring and knock him out of the stage; knocking him off the sides doesn't count, you can only push him off by the back. Is that clear enough?"

"It seems dumb enough" said Toph "What's the difficulty in that?"

"Rules, rules, Toph" said Sokka, smirking "There's more to come! First of all… Each time you push back your rival one zone, you'll be allowed to take the territory he vacated as your own, but you can't be on the same zone at the same time. Also, you always have to advance if you push your enemy back, you can't stay on the zone you were on previously"

"Meaning Aang will always be slightly away from us" said Zuko "Why?"

"Because this way we'll make sure he won't get ambushed by you three" said Azula "It's a way to make this fairer for him"

Aang raised an eyebrow, not understanding yet how fair would it be for him to get beaten up by three masters of the elements of the outstanding skills of his three friends, but he decided to keep quiet while the explanation continued.

"Still, I don't see how he could win at all" said Toph, smirking "I could take on him alone on those conditions"

"Yeah, yeah, you probably could" said Sokka, shrugging "But what if you're only allowed to bend the earth disks that Haru's manufacturing now?"

"Easy, I'll just de-compress them and I'll bend earth in the way I always do" said Toph

"That goes against the rules" said Azula "So I suggest you forget about it"

"What? Why would that be against the rules?" asked Toph, frowning "You seriously only want me to bend earth disks?! That's extremely lame!"

"And… where will those earth disks be at?" asked Aang, raising an eyebrow

"See the stage?" said Sokka "This small circles on each zone are the places where the rock disks will be stacked within. Oh, and the water you'll be allowed to bend will be inside the grates that divide the stage in sections…"

Azula took the first scroll and rolled it back, and a more specific drawing of the stage was revealed. The grates and the circles where the rocks and water would lie were better drawn and much more visible now.

"Can you see it clearly now? The borderlines that divide the stage are where the water will be held" said Azula

"And do I get to bend lava or something of the sort?" said Zuko, confused "If you're supplying the earth and water, are you supplying the fire as well?"

"How can you be so dumb?" asked Azula, rolling her eyes "It should be obvious we're not supplying the fire. Unless, of course, you have no inner fire left, in which case I'd be glad to take your place and test the Avatar myself"

Zuko frowned and Mai took his hand below the table. The touch calmed him slightly, and the two expositors continued talking

"Very well, now onto the specific rules concerning each element" said Azula "First, water. Every strike you execute with water mustn't exceed one second in duration"

"Wait, WHAT?!" asked Katara "That's ridiculous! How am I supposed to fight with a one-second blast?!"

"Cool off, little sister" said Sokka "That's not even all there is to it…"

"You can only bend the water within the grates of the Zone you're in, be it the front or back grate. You can perform headshots with water, that is legal, but you cannot use water on any state other than liquid"

"Meaning… no ice?!" asked Katara, completely puzzled

"Well, that's harsh" said Aang, astonished "Why not?"

"It's unnecessary" said Azula "The plan is to have you bend water in the fairest way. Ice could make the Avatar slip, steam would affect his eyesight, and Sokka said he could perform both of them adequately. The only thing we need to see him bend is water"

"Well, if you say so…" said Aang, although Katara didn't seem as permissive as him.

"The rules of fire aren't too many" said Azula "But you're not allowed to do headshots, it'd be too dangerous. Oh, and the shots are also limited, fire blasts can't exceed one-second in duration"

"W-what?!" asked Zuko "Wait, but that's just…"

"That's just fair" said Sokka, nodding

"And naturally, you're not allowed to bend lightning" said Azula "But it's not like I expected either of you to do it anyways, you're not even that good at it yet"

"I guess we're not as good as you, but we're getting it" said Aang, folding his arms

"Good, good, now that's settled let's talk about earth" said Sokka

"Wait, wait, wait…" said Toph "You're saying there's even MORE rules about earthbending?! Come on! Cut me some slack here, will you?!"

"Just as with fire, you won't be allowed to strike your opponents' head with an earth disk, and as you know, that will be the only earth you'll be allowed to bend" said Azula "I also believe I mentioned no metalbending will be allowed, so don't try anything fancy, Bandit"

Toph stared at Azula with clear irritation, not amused with all the rules she'd have to abide.

"You can only bend the disks within the zone you're in" said Azula "You can't break or dissolve the earth that composes the disks, or else you'll be flagged for cheating. Fortunately, you can have the disks rebound against the ropes that will secure the sides of the ring, they're bound to be flexible, and so you can perform surprise attacks in that manner"

"And do I get to bend only one disk at a time?" asked Toph, with all the sarcasm she could muster

"Not really" said Sokka "I think you can bend several disks… right?"

"I guess she can" said Azula "She's been limited enough as it is"

"Thank you!" said Toph, finally relaxing a little

"Any other restricting and horrifying rules we need to know about?" asked Katara

"Well, there's the fouls, of course" said Sokka, thoughtful "Stepping on a line would be a foul, and you'll be forced to fall back one zone"

"Also bending something at the stands or the referee, in this case, Sokka, would be another foul and you'll be sent to the next zone as well" said Azula

"You can't knock intentionally a player off the side of the ring either" said Sokka "And for doing that you'll…"

"We'll fall back a zone, we get it" said Zuko

"And I don't believe this to be necessary, but you can't hit the ceiling of the arena with bending, let alone end up on the ceiling" said Azula, staring at Aang "Just so you don't forget you're not allowed to airbend"

Aand sighed and nodded, not very enthusiastic about all the rules they'd have to follow.

"There's something I don't like about all this" said Katara, frowning

"What is it?" asked Azula, staring at her defiantly. Despite Katara's conversation with Sokka, the relationship between both girls was unchanging; they'd never ever get along.

"Why did you create so many restrictions? Why make so many limitations? How does that prove mastery of the elements?" asked Katara

"It seems to me that people tend to mistake the concept of 'mastery' with being able to bend something immense" said Azula, who had been expecting this question to come at some point "A master isn't one because he can create pillars of fire, or freeze oceans, or create mountains: a master can bend in the most dire and complex situations, despite how limited his resources may be. A true master would be able to fight and prevail while obeying every rule we've told you about, no matter how complicated it may seem at first. Therefore, if any of you believe this test is beyond your skills, speak out now and we'll look for another bender to take your place"

"You think you'll find a finer earthbender than me?" asked Toph, smirking "Fat chance for that to happen"

"Anyway, did I answer your question?" asked Azula, staring at Katara, who nodded a little

"Well, that's pretty much all there is to it!" said Sokka "So… what do you think? Will you do this?" he asked, staring at the four benders.

Aang, Zuko, Katara and Toph remained silent for a minute while thinking of their answer to Sokka's question. Could they put up with such complicated test? Would they be able to follow so many strict regulations? It seemed like Azula had been trying to make it as complicated for them as possible, and she had accomplished her goal. One-second shots, only bending earth disks… how could they accept such conditions? But her reply to Katara's question made them curious, eager to find out if they were skilled enough to get by such difficult test…

"I'll take it" said Aang, staring at both Azula and Sokka with determination

"Great! Thanks, Aang!" said Sokka, beaming

"I'm not a fan of bending lame disks only" said Toph "But I'll put up with it if that's what it'll take to have the spicy princess see how much of an earthbender master I am"

Azula raised an eyebrow at the nickname Toph had given her, which Sokka seemed to find hilarious

"Spicy…?" asked Azula

"That makes it two!" said Sokka, grinning happily "And… good one, Toph!"

"I'm here all week!" said the girl, smiling

Azula stared inquisitively at Sokka, who seemed a little nervous after having approved of Toph's crazy nickname, but it definitely fit Azula perfectly.

"So… what about you two?" asked Sokka, staring at Zuko and Katara

The firebender and the waterbender exchanged a look. Despite Toph's annoyance at bending disks only, a one-second shot was way too harsh a rule in comparison.

"Can't the length of the shots be broadened a little?" asked Katara

"I don't think that's a good idea" said Ty Lee "It could be dangerous to shoot for much longer than that, Aang wouldn't be able to fight back too well"

"I guess not" said Katara, sighing "Well… the only thing I'm glad about is that you bothered to make this very secure. Hopefully no one will end up hurt after it's all done… so I guess I'm in as well"

"If everyone else goes along with it…" said Zuko, shrugging

"Yeah!" said Sokka, jumping enthusiastically "Then we'll just go to get the Mechanist and get the designs to him, so that we can get this finished as fast as possible!"

"We should get a messenger hawk to him" said Azula "But first… do you have any questions?"

The rest of the group remained quiet, and Azula nodded

"Then you're all dismissed. We'll contact you again whenever we have a set date for the bending test"

"Sounds like a plan" said Katara, nodding

"You know, calling this a test sounds lame somehow" said Sokka to Azula's surprise, as the two of them walked to leave the room

"What do you want to call it, in that case?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow

Sokka seemed in very deep thought until he squealed

"I've got it! It'll be called Pro-Bending!" he declared proudly

"Pro-Bending…?" muttered Azula, and as they left the room, their conversation became more difficult to hear for the rest of the group

"Pro-Bending?" asked Mai

"It does sound like something Sokka would choose" said Toph, smirking "Anyway, I'm off to train some more. Seems like I have to learn to battle with the stupid disks…"

The group vacated the room slowly, but not everyone left. Aang remained seating in his spot, in deep thought while pondering this test. He knew how much he'd have to train, but he barely had any confidence in himself…

"Are you okay?" asked Ty Lee, the last one to leave before Aang

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine" he said, smiling a little "Just thinking a bit…"

Ty Lee sat down next to him for a moment, staring at him with concern

"Is there something wrong? Don't you like the test? But you just said that…"

"No, the test seems perfectly planned" said Aang, sighing "But… how am I going to pass it? I know I'm very powerful, and with more practice I could get to be ever better, but how could I even think of defeating the three of them at once? It's nearly impossible…"

"Oh, don't be silly!" said Ty Lee "I know they're all really powerful, but you're amazing! Besides, they're not unbeatable. There are many things you could do to get an advantage over them"

"Such as…?" asked Aang, raising an eyebrow

"Study them!" she said, smiling "See their movements and think of how to counter them! It's what I do on most of my fights! Know your enemy, and you'll know how to beat him!"

"I guess that makes sense" said Aang "But I do know them, and I know how difficult this is going to be. Zuko's firebending has improved greatly over the years, he's as good as Jeong Jeong by now… Toph's always been amazing, and she seems to be even tougher now, and I can't even get started on how talented and awesome Katara is as a waterbender! So… how could I possibly defeat them?"

"Didn't your monks tell you to take things slowly and to be patient?" said Ty Lee "You only need to wait for the right moment! You must be quick and swift, and your movements must be perfectly accurate! But you know what…? Why don't I help you out with that?"

"Huh?" said Aang, surprised "Why would you help me?"

"Because you look desperate, and I think I could have you train on something a bit more useful than the usual bending you've been learning" she said, smirking a little

Aang stared at her in disbelief

"Y-you'll teach me how to chi-block?"

"Maybe" said Ty Lee, smiling innocently now "But there'll be much more to that training than you think!"

"Wow…" said Aang, amazed "I'm much more of a bender than a fighter, I'm not used to fighting with my bare hands or anything… do you really think this will work? I don't think direct physical blows will be allowed on the test…"

"That's not the point of the training I have in mind, but you'll see eventually!" said Ty Lee "Train with your three masters as you always do on the mornings, and you can train with me on the afternoon! What do you say?"

Aang frowned while thinking about what Ty Lee had just proposed. It did seem like a good idea to learn other forms of fighting aside from bending, but… would they be of any use? He had no other choice but to give it a try.

"I hope you know what you're doing" said Aang, smiling a little "I'm in"

"Great!" she said, jumping up in happiness "Let's start tomorrow, shall we?"

"Okay" said Aang, nodding as Ty Lee left the room, almost crashing against Katara, who had returned to find Aang

"What's going on, Aang?" she asked, as he stood up "Why didn't you leave? I was sure you'd be right behind us…"

"Oh, I just…" started the Avatar, and then a spark showed up on his eyes "It's nothing, really! Let's just go practice right away!"

Katara frowned, not comfortable with his evasive answer, but she knew that if she didn't return with Aang right away, the others might get worried. She'd ask him later, she would make sure he didn't get out of this without explaining properly, no matter how many explanations she'd heard today.

As for Aang, he was both thrilled and scared of what would happen the next day when he snuck off to learn from Ty Lee, but he couldn't wait to get started. He got along quite well with the Kyoshi Warrior, and he was certain she'd teach him many things that would prove useful when facing this Pro-Bending challenge…

_My writing's pretty peculiar at times, I don't know how it might work for others, but I don't control everything as well as one might think… and why am I saying this? Because Ty Lee pretty much decided to train Aang without my knowledge of it! Normally I see what'll happen beforehand, but this took me by surprise completely! I had no idea something like this would come up so suddenly! xD Anyways, get ready to see some strange chi-blocking training on the next chapter! ^^_


	12. 12: Throwing Knives and Blocking Chi

"Did you guys hear what happened with the lovebirds?" said Toph in the middle of lunch, surprising the others.

After a rough morning of training non-stop and battling each other as randomly as they could, the group of benders had returned to the Royal Palace, starving. The four of them sat around a small table as they ate, replenishing their strength on a terrace-like room by the inner garden of the Palace, when Toph suddenly asked her question.

"Which lovebirds?" asked Aang, taking a bite out of an apple pie.

"You know, Sokka and his spicy princess" she said "I heard they left early today on one of those Fire Nation airships to Gaoling. Seems like they're going to be supervising the Arena's renewal from scratch"

"It doesn't sound bad" muttered Zuko "It's better if they're not around to give out more and more rules to us"

They continued eating quietly until there was nothing left on the table. After a couple of trivial conversations, they all seemed ready to continue with their training, but...

"Um... guys?" said Aang, when they were about to return to their training site.

"What is it, Aang?" asked Zuko, frowning

"I think I'm going to train alone for a while" he said, smiling a little

"What? Why?" asked Katara, surprised

"Let's face it, we really shouldn't train together so much if we're supposed to fight each other on the test" said Aang

"And you plan on training on your own? What would you accomplish with that?" asked Zuko

"I think I'll need some time to think of how to beat you all" said Aang "That's why I think that, from now on, I'll train by myself on afternoons, if that's okay with all of you"

"I couldn't care less" said Toph, as honest as usual "That'll give us time to make awesome strategies to destroy Aang when the Pro-Bending thing happens"

"B-but..." Katara didn't seem too comfortable, Aang had returned from his trip only a couple of days ago, she wished to spend as much time with him as possible...

"It'll be alright, Katara" said Aang, flashing one of his cheerful smiles at her "I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

"Oh, alright..." she muttered in resignation "Be careful, please"

"I will be" replied Aang. He closed in for a kiss, which seemed to be a little uncomfortable for both Zuko and Toph, and he took off on his glider right away.

Katara watched him fly through the sky with worry, wondering what was on Aang's mind. She knew him well enough to be certain that there was something he was hiding, something he didn't wish for them to know about. Still, she would have trusted him with her life, and if he had to keep secrets from her, then so be it.

Aang flew towards the entire opposite direction from where they used to train in. He had found a note attached to his staff this morning, in which were written the indications to reach his new training site. He sped up as much as he could, hoping to get started right away after finding the forest he'd been told to reach, and he descended when he found a clearing with a huge and old tree standing in the center.

"Finally, you're here!" said Ty Lee, smiling as Aang landed

"Hi!" he said, grinning as well "Sorry for making you wait so long!"

"You sure know how to make a girl waste time, don't you?" said a gloomy and unexpected voice from the edge of the woods, and it made Aang jump in surprise

"Mai?! You're here too?" he asked, amazed

"I spent a while thinking about what use would my fighting style serve for you" said Ty Lee "And I realized you were right, direct blows won't be allowed! So I figured we'd need someone who could fight close-range, like me, and someone who could teach you to fight from afar, like Mai!"

"Well… that actually does make sense" said Aang, thoughtful "By the way, I didn't tell anyone I was coming here, I thought it would be better if these lessons remained secret. It'd be nice to consider whatever you'll be teaching me as my secret weapon or something of the sort" he muttered, chuckling

"Not a bad idea" said Mai "No one else knows I'm here, so no need to panic"

"Well, I…" muttered Ty Lee "I might have mentioned something to someone, but he doesn't know where exactly will we be at, so..."

"What? Who did you tell?" asked Aang, and Ty Lee blushed.

"I bet you told your new crush, didn't you?" said Mai, rolling her eyes

"H-he's not just a crush! We're actually becoming good friends!" she squealed, her cheeks still flushed

"Whatever you say" said Mai, shrugging "It's none of my business if you hook up with him or not"

"Yeah, that's right! It really isn't your business or anyone else's!" said Ty Lee, folding her arms

Aang raised an eyebrow, confused

"Uh… can we get started now?"

"Oh, of course!" said Ty Lee, returning to reality now "Well, I guess I'll be the one to start! Come closer, Aang, we need to talk about some things first"

Aang approached her and stood right in front of the Kyoshi Warrior, who grinned happily at him

"We all know that you're a brilliant bender, and that Azula's test, no matter how fair she wanted to make it, isn't going to be easy at all for you" she started "You probably could take on your friends one on one, but the three of them are a fearsome combination, anyone would be able to see this! That's the reason why we must stray from the path of bending, and find a new way for you to fight that will help you to surpass your rivals!"

"That introduction is pretty nice" said Aang "But I think we all knew that, right?"

"Oh, right… See, I haven't been a teacher since I gave the girls their chi-blocking lessons" said Ty Lee, laughing nervously "Okay! Let's go for the real deal now! Chi-blocking isn't that much of a difficult technique; it's basically striking the right spot that can bring down your enemy with the necessary strength! There are many important places on the human body for the flow of chi, and if you hit those pressure points with the precise force, you could leave your rival completely unable to move for hours."

"That sounds very good" said Aang "But I don't really want to leave my friends so weakened…"

"If you want to pass that test, you'd better forget that half-hearted attitude" said Mai "They won't hold back, not even if you hope they will"

"Well, I don't really want them to hold back, but leaving them unable to move or bend for hours would be too much!"

"To be honest, I really don't expect you to go so far" said Ty Lee "Learning to chi-block properly would take you ages, so you'll only learn the basics, so that you can strike them on the right places and seize a better chance to beat them"

"If you say so..." said Aang, gulping "Okay, how do I start?"

"You start by knowing the human body" said Ty Lee "If you're familiar with it, with the chi's path, you'll learn to block it right away! Well, maybe you'll need a demonstration to understand this better..."

"Wait, I don't need any! I've seen you fight many times!" exclaimed Aang, afraid of ending up completely paralyzed, but even as he tried to get away, Ty Lee was faster.

In a few swift movements, the girl jumped towards him and struck him in both shoulders and legs using her bare hands. She was lightning-fast with her jabs, and Aang found himself lying on the floor while feeling a terrible pain shooting up and down his extremities. He couldn't help but utter a wail, unable to move at all.

"You're crazy, Ty Lee" said Mai, approaching Aang while staring down at him with her usual indifference "You shouldn't have gone so far"

"B-but it was the only way for him to see what happens if you block the chi's path!" she said, even though she was clearly desperate

"D-do I get a break now?" muttered Aang, clenching his teeth

They spent about thirty minutes sitting side by side on a log that was lying close to the central tree. Neither of them spoke much, since clearly Aang wasn't too comfortable talking while feeling his body energy completely blocked, Ty Lee felt guilty and Mai never really talked too much, so until Aang could flex his hands properly, they were completely quiet.

"Seems like I'm fully functional now!" he said, smiling

"Good" said Mai "Now it's my turn"

"W-what?!" asked Ty Lee "But that's not fair! I barely got to teach him anything!"

"Yeah, you beat him up instead" said Mai "It's my turn now, maybe he'll survive me"

Aang gulped, a little scared of the gloomy girl, but the two of them stood up and walked to the edge of the forest while Ty Lee watched them. Aang was only starting to regain the feel on his legs, but he managed to follow Mai without stumbling, which was a good sign.

"Here" said Mai, picking up a rock from the ground and handing it over to Aang "Throw this at the tree in front of you without using your earthbending"

Aang frowned and obeyed her, stretching his arm as much as he could and throwing the stone with all his strength. The rock flew on a small arc and left a small dent on the tree's crust, and it plummeted down right after the contact. Mai didn't seem happy with the result at all.

"I figured as much" she said, as she picked up another stone.

She looked at it and found its sharpest edge; without half of the effort Aang used, Mai threw the stone in one swift motion of her arm. It didn't even spin a little, the edge always pointed towards the tree, and it soared at such speed that Aang could hardly keep up. The stone opened up a perfect hole on the tree, sap started to leak from it as it bled while trying to mend its wound.

"See?" said Mai "You can't throw it recklessly. It's not about putting strength to it wildly, but to give it the speed you need for it to soar towards the right direction. I can see your aim is pretty good, but you have to put more effort on your technique"

"Uhm… right…" said Aang "You're not giving me a speech like Ty Lee did?"

"Why would I?" asked Mai, raising an eyebrow

"It'd be good to know what the point of this training with stones is" said Aang, smiling uncomfortably

"You can't tell by yourself? Gee, I thought you were smarter than this" said Mai, sighing "I'm not going to give you knives from day one, you'll end up killing yourself and that'd be no good for anyone. You'll use rocks until you master the technique properly"

"I see…" said Aang "But there's something that's still missing. How am I supposed to translate what you two will teach me into my bending?"

"Are we supposed to give you all the answers?" asked Mai "We're not benders; you can work that out yourself, can't you?"

"Oh, Mai, don't be so mean!" said Ty Lee "Listen, Aang. What we're going to teach you will be useful for a few things: my lessons will help you cause as much damage as possible, be it with whichever element you use or with your own body. Mai's lessons are about aim and precision, and that's what you'll need when fighting your crazy Pro-Bending test! I know that it won't be easy at first, actually I'm sure there will be times where you'll wonder where this is going to, but I assure you it'll make sense by the time we're through with you"

Aang shrugged, but he smiled at the girl

"Yeah, you're probably right. Besides, I can try to use a little of what you'll teach me here when I practice with the others tomorrow morning, right?"

"If you're really going to make this a secret weapon, I suggest you keep that to a minimum" said Mai "Fight as you always do, unless our teachings become one with your bending style at some point"

"That could happen" said Aang, thoughtful "But I'll try to keep fighting as I always do, you're right about that"

"Good to know" said Mai "So… let's get onto the technical aspect of throwing stuff around"

"Sure" said Aang, smiling a little

"I learned to throw knives when I was bored in my room, back in the lamest years of my life" said Mai "I threw them against the wall all the time. My mother scolded me about it once when one of the knives went too fast and almost struck her as she passed by the hall. Honestly, I didn't care much about getting told off, but that's when I realized I had a gift with knives… so I started to develop the skill, and I realized what it truly was about. You can't just throw them randomly, they'll only obey you if you direct them swiftly with a proper wrist movement, and by moving your arm quickly it'll gain more speed, which is what makes this art as dangerous as it is. A mere knife thrown in a slow manner won't do half the damage as one that's cutting the wind as it heads towards its goal. Get it?"

Aang nodded and Mai took a knife with her left hand. She turned around towards the large tree that sat in the center of the clearing and she performed a speedy arch movement with her left arm, and before Aang could register it, the knife penetrated and pierced the thick crust completely, and it kept flying until it got stuck on another thick tree, not without leaving a gash on it as well.

"A-amazing…" said Aang, surprised "Were you two always this tough? I mean… I never fought you two directly, so…"

"I guess we held back a little" said Ty Lee, smiling "But yes, we've always been this tough to beat"

"What else could you have expected? In a world ruled by benders, non-benders have to find a way to fight back" said Mai

"You two might be more dangerous than many benders I know, if you want me to tell the truth" said Aang, smiling a little "But I'm starting to get your point, I think. Maybe these lessons will be the ones that'll save me from flunking, huh?"

Ty Lee laughed and Mai smiled a little as Aang stretched

"Well, now what?" he asked

"You want to take over for a while?" asked Mai, staring at Ty Lee, who nodded enthusiastically

"Sure! It's time to learn more chi-blocking, Aang!"

They spent the entire afternoon teaching Aang the basics of their fighting styles, and even when Aang didn't manage to emulate all of his teachers' skills, he proved to be a good student, as long as he didn't let Ty Lee chi-block him as she did with her first lesson. Mai kept him throwing rocks and correcting him here and there, she wasn't the nicest teacher there was, but she could spot all of Aang's flaws and she pointed him on the right direction every time he made a mistake. Their training stopped when it had become so dark that they could hardly see. To Mai's horror and Ty Lee's amusement, Aang offered them to take them back to the Royal Palace by hanging onto his glider. They complied, but Mai regretted it as soon as Aang took off. Ty Lee, on the other hand, squealed in happiness as she enjoyed the feeling of soaring above the ground. Her screams almost rendered Aang deaf, but he managed to put up with them until they finally got back to the Capital.

Aang slept like a baby that night, he was extremely tired after working so hard during the day. Katara walked in his room, wondering if he'd be willing to talk now about whatever he'd been keeping from her, but she found him completely unconscious. She smiled and caressed his cheek as she watched him sleep, knowing that Aang couldn't be up to anything fishy… or could he?

_Well, that wasn't so bad, I think xD Aang's going to become Mai and Ty Lee's little student now ^^ he'll be a fully-fledged Avatar by learning non-bending fighting techniques, don't you think? Anyhow I don't have that much to say this time, so… keep reading! ^^ I'll try to update as soon as possible, because I can tell the big Pro-Bending fight is coming closer…_


	13. 13: Journey to Gaoling

_Okay, I think I owe an apology to all those who've been following me loyally! I nearly updated on a daily basis, but I've been a little late this time! Sorry! Well, here you go anyways, it's quite extensive to make up for the lateness! Enjoy!_

One week of constant training had its toll on anyone, even if you were the Avatar. Aang trained with Katara, Zuko and Toph right after breakfast, and when he was done with lunch he'd fly towards his usual rendezvous point with Ty Lee and Mai. His progress was quite remarkable, both his teachers were astounded at seeing how bright a student he was; but he was already at his limit. After an entire week of hard work, he collapsed on his bed and decided to call it quits for once, he needed his rest. He informed Katara of his decision beforehand, and he slept for most of the day, letting go of all his stress and fatigue.

"What's up with Twinkle Toes?" asked Toph right after they were done with their training on the morning.

"He's just tired" replied Katara, as they walked through the doors of the Royal Palace

"He's been acting weird lately" insisted Toph "He's always been weird, but now it seems as if he were hiding something from us"

"Yeah, you're right" said Zuko "But what could he hide? It's Aang, there can't be anything troublesome about this"

"You're probably right..." said Toph, yawning "Man, I'm beat! What's for dinner?"

"No idea" said Zuko "Let's go find out" he suggested, and Toph nodded enthusiastically

"Yeah! Let's go see!"

The three of them walked towards the kitchen, hoping to sneak some food to refill their empty stomachs, but a servant jumped in front of them when they were about to get to their destination

"Fire Lord Zuko!" he exclaimed when he saw them, and Toph sighed

"Fine, we won't take any food!" she said, used to the servants' policy by now. She and Sokka had a knack for stealing food from the kitchens, something that annoyed the cooks greatly, and the two of them had earned their titles as the most dangerous enemies of the kitchen staff. Word had spread of their skills throughout all the workers, which was why they always were watched and told off even before they could plan another deadly strike at the servants' work.

"That is a relief" said the servant "But it's not the reason why I was sent to seek you out. A messenger hawk arrived today!"

"Who sent it?" asked Zuko, surprised

"The princess did! Here's what she sent" said the servant, handing out a small parchment to his master

"Thank you" replied Zuko as he took the paper. The servant bowed and left. Zuko dedicated himself to read the whole note, in which Azula described with formality the progress of the entire refurbishing process, but she didn't stop herself from adding cruel and mocking remarks here and there that made Zuko frown with irritation

"Wait, what?! The test will be held in five days?!" repeated Zuko, astonished

"Seriously? If that's the case, we have to hurry!" said Katara "If we want to make it there on time, we'll have leave tomorrow morning!"

"Do you think Haru's finished his errand already?" asked Toph, raising an eyebrow

"No idea" said Zuko "Ugh, this is typical Azula! She always does this sort of things to make everyone run all over the place to try to keep up with her!"

"Well? What else does it say?" asked Toph

"It mentions Haru" said Katara, taking the note from Zuko's hand "She says he should head to Gaoling on an airship with all the rock disks as cargo as soon as possible"

"Gaoling…" muttered Toph, sighing "If I think about it a little more, it really doesn't sound like fun at all…"

"Why?" asked Katara "I thought you were happy about going back to Earth Rumble"

"My problem isn't Earth Rumble" she muttered, frowning

"Then what is it?" asked Zuko, folding Azula's letter and putting it in his pocket after Katara returned it to him.

"I haven't really seen my parents ever since I left home, you know? It's almost been three years since I last saw them" she said

"But you sent them a messenger hawk" said Katara "I even helped you write down what you had to say! Didn't they reply you?"

"Sure they did" said Toph "They told me to come back home immediately and that I'd be grounded for all the time I was away from home. What a way to convince me to return, huh?"

"It's not very encouraging, I'll give you that" said Katara "But maybe you should show them all you can do! You're even a metalbender now!"

"I'm pretty sure you were there when I fought all the dopes from the Earth Rumble, weren't you?" said Toph "They got a good look at my talent and they decided to shut me down. Do you really think that's changed after all this time?"

"Maybe…" said Katara "You should give your parents them a chance, at least!"

"Why? I don't think they'll be any different now…" she said, folding her arms

"People can change" said Zuko "I'm not just talking about me, but also about Azula… she's not the perfect sister, and she's a real bully when she wants to be, but she's not half as evil as she used to be. She's become a much better person now, even if it's not so obvious to anyone"

"So you guys think my parents are all nice and sweet now, yeah…" said Toph sarcastically "I honestly doubt it, but go ahead and believe whatever you want to, I've got no problems with that. Why don't we focus on more important issues, like getting to the damned town in the first place?"

"Right… I guess we'll take Appa" said Katara, shrugging

"In that case, we'll leave at dawn" decided Zuko "We have to get going as quick as possible"

"Then we should eat and go to bed early" said Toph, stretching her arms

"I'll go get Aang and tell him the news, then" said Katara, and the other two nodded.

She sped towards the Avatar's room while wondering if Toph would ever fix her wrecked relationship with her parents. She hoped they could talk things through, just as she'd done with Sokka because, even if she couldn't talk with Azula easily yet, she knew her conversation with her brother had changed her way of thinking of the Princess…

"Aang?" she called as she knocked on her boyfriend's room. He had told her he would spend the entire day resting, and she figured he'd still be in his room. She suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of the whistling of wind, and she opened the door.

Aang was jumping happily, propelling himself upwards with his airbending while he flapped his arms around, causing an air current that was responsible for the whistling she'd heard from outside

"Yeah! Full recovery!" exclaimed the young Avatar, dancing around in happiness

"Congratulations" said Katara, startling him into falling flat on the ground

"W-woah! I… I didn't see you there, Katara" he muttered, blushing a little as he stood up again.

"What were you doing?" asked Katara, smiling

"Nothing much" said Aang, a little uncomfortable, but replying to her smile nonetheless "I was only celebrating… see, I finally got to rest properly, and I feel awesome now!"

"Good to know" said Katara, approaching him "But I'm surprised to hear you were so tired… What sort of training are you doing on your own nowadays?"

"Not much" said Aang, stretching "Just… trying to play for both your team and mine! Else it wouldn't be much of a practice, I think… I'm planning out a great strategy; you'll see when the big test comes up!"

"That's actually what I came to talk to you about" said Katara "A letter arrived from Sokka and Azula; they scheduled the test in five days"

"T-they did WHAT?!" asked Aang, surprised "Five days?! B-but I'm not ready yet!"

"You aren't?" asked Katara, worried

"Well, I could use a little more practice…" said Aang, shrugging "But I guess I'll manage somehow, if it has to be done in five days time"

"If you really don't feel ready then you can just let them know" said Katara "We can send them a messenger hawk and tell them to give us more time…"

"No, no need" said Aang "I only overreacted. Actually, I think I might be able to take on all three of you"

"You seem very confident" said Katara, raising an eyebrow

"I feel pretty good about my skills" said Aang, grinning

Katara giggled and gestured Aang outside with a jerk of her head.

"Let's go have dinner then, Mr. Confidence" she said "You can tell me all about your amazing skills while we eat, right?"

"I'd like that" said Aang, smirking

"You're an Air Nomad, Aang, weren't you taught to be a little bit more humble than this?" asked Katara, shaking her head. Aang let out a bark of laughter as he walked to her

"I'm just trying to impress you somehow!" said Aang

"You always do, dummy" she said, putting her forehead against his

They stood in front of each other for a while, and Katara stared into Aang's eyes for a moment. There was doubt clear in her eyes, she clearly had many questions she wanted to ask him… but the way he stared back at her made her wonder if she wasn't going overboard with her silly worries. His eyes, as honest and caring as usual, made her sway right where she was, making her unsure of what to do or what to say.

"What's the matter, Katara?" asked Aang, smiling

"I just… I just wanted to know if…" she muttered, but his innocent stance made her discard all her doubts. Aang wouldn't be hiding anything too terrible from her, she knew him well enough to be aware of this, and she had to face that she had a very over-active imagination; nothing was happening, nothing could be happening at all

"If what?" asked Aang, surprised

"If… there's anything I can do for you" she said, smiling as convincingly as she could "We haven't been spending enough time together, I think…"

Aang smiled and took her in his arms, cradling her as he brought their lips together. Katara cupped his face with her hands, deepening the kiss as much as she could. She had missed him so…

"That's not enough to make up for it…" muttered Aang, pulling away "But you said we had to go eat, so maybe we should save some more for later, huh?"

Katara laughed and let her head rest on the Avatar's chest. Aang hugged her close and kissed the top of her head; his hand sought hers and he intertwined their fingers, something that made Katara smile even more. And so, hand in hand, they headed into the dining room, where Toph was already busy eating everything she could get her hands on while Zuko tried to take some food for himself…

…

"Woooooooohooooo!" yelled Aang as he held on to his staff, flying without a care in the world, side by side with Momo.

They had set out early in the morning, just as planned. Appa didn't protest whatsoever at noticing he'd be forced to take four passengers on another long trip; he missed the old days when they would travel all over the world in three days time; nowadays he would be lazing around for most of the time while people spoiled him, be them Air Acolytes or Fire Nation people, who seemed to revere and fear his might. He enjoyed their pampering, but he'd had enough of it already, he needed to work out a little from time to time. They had packed lightly since they were planning on stopping at several towns to eat and sleep, and luckily they would manage to arrive in Gaoling on time. But even when they thought they would travel quietly and calmly, Aang decided to jump off of Appa's saddle only seconds after the lift off, and he'd been flying right next to them for hours

"Would you shut up, Twinkle Toes?" growled Toph "It's bad enough to be off the ground to also add your annoying screams to the situation!"

"C'mon, Toph! I'm just having my share of fun!" claimed the Avatar, performing loop after loop

"Let him be" said Katara smiling as she watched him fly

"Yeah, let him squeal his lungs out in joy" said Zuko "You can get back at him for being so loud when we beat him up on Gaoling's arena, see?"

"Sounds like a plan" said Toph, lightening up notoriously at the thought.

"HEY!" protested Aang, as the other three laughed at his reaction.

Zuko grinned and stared back at the Fire Nation, they'd just exited the main island. He could see an airship far behind them, and he knew very well who was traveling on it. Appa was considerably strong, but he couldn't possibly have carried more than four people with ease, which was why Mai and Ty Lee had decided to take the airship with Haru instead. Zuko couldn't get his mind off Mai, wondering if she would be mad about the little time they were spending together nowadays...

Zuko didn't know that Mai did miss him a lot, but she was busy dealing with other matters at the present time. The main reason why she wanted him by her side was because at least that way she wouldn't be forced to watch how Ty Lee and her new suitor flirted clumsily around without much progress, both too dumb to make a real move. She really didn't have the patience for dealing with this...

"So... do you thing Aang can take on Zuko and the others?" Ty Lee asked her, probably trying to find a way to calm her nerves at being around a boy she actually liked that much

"I don't know, and it really doesn't matter much to me" muttered Mai

"Why not?" asked Haru, surprised

"Because I really don't care who wins or loses" she replied, sighing

"Well, I'm personally rooting for Aang" said Ty Lee "What about you, Haru?"

"Me? I don't even know what's going on" he said, smiling slightly

"Aang will be fighting against Zuko, Katara and Toph, all at the same time" explained Ty Lee

"Uhm... why, exactly?" asked Haru, surprised

"Because that's what Azula decided to do, and everyone agreed to it" said Mai with her usual bored tone

"Well, Aang may be the Avatar, but those three are very powerful... they could take him on if they work together"

"No, they won't!" declared Ty Lee "Aang has got some really good cards under his sleeve!"

"Like what you've been teaching him?" asked Haru, smiling

"I guess so..." said Ty Lee, toying with her thumbs

Mai frowned at the sight of her blushing friend, wondering when Ty Lee had become so shy around men. But then again, she probably was only shy around the only one she actually liked… She used to be a little more withdrawn with Sokka during the time she'd been in love with him, was she feeling the same way towards Haru now? Could a relationship with him work at all? Only time would tell… but she certainly didn't wish to witness the way they kept dancing around, avoiding the subject as they wandered the deck of the ship among the several towers of earth disks. It had taken them a few hours to load the whole cargo, and Haru hadn't even finished bending the entire mountain; he'd put the small remnants of the mountains into a corner of the ship to continue bending it into disks as they flew towards Gaoling, but he was too busy trying to spend as much time as possible with Ty Lee to go back to his earth mountain…

"Well? Are you two going to make me watch you go all lovey-dovey?" asked Mai, raising an eyebrow, unwilling to tolerate the behavior of the other two anymore "It's not much fun to see you two flirting so stupidly"

Both Haru and Ty Lee blushed wildly, but Mai kept her bored façade on, which was a prompt for them to get out of her sight if they actually wanted to get a good conversation going.

"I'm… going to go finish the last pile of earth" said Haru, scratching his head "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Mai"

"Whatever" said Mai, and the tall earthbender headed towards the corner of the airship where he'd left the final mound of earth, to her great relief.

"Y-you could be a little nicer from time to time… that was cruel" said Ty Lee, still blushing

"It was necessary" said Mai "Go talk to the guy and make your feelings clear, will you? Stop waltzing around already, it's getting old"

"But I've only known him for like a week or two!" said Ty Lee, folding her arms insecurely

"That's never stopped you before, has it?" asked Mai, raising an eyebrow

Ty Lee blushed and shook her head, walking towards the corner where Haru had gone to while muttering

"Y-you're unbelievable, Mai…"

Mai smirked as her friend left her, supposing what would happen now between the Kyoshi Warrior and the earthbender. Ty Lee sped towards where Haru was sitting, bending a new earth disk at great speed; it seemed like performing the very same routine a million times over and a million times again had made him much faster, and he didn't tire so quickly even after bending piles and piles of rocks.

"Looking good" said Ty Lee, as she walked around several disk towers to get closer to him. The towers were so many that they nearly made the deck become a maze; were they slightly taller it would be a pain to find each other within the airship.

"You think so?" asked Haru, grinning "I'm a lot quicker now, I have to say. I bet I'll reduce this pile in an hour or two"

"That's great news" she said, sitting down right next to him "Uhm... I hope what Mai said didn't get to you, she's always saying things like that without caring if it affects others…"

"I've noticed" said Haru, nodding "Don't worry, it's fine with me"

"She always acts that way whenever she's irritated" muttered Ty Lee "It must be because she has such a grey aura..."

"She has a what?" repeated Haru, suprised

"Aura, I said" said Ty Lee "Don't you believe in auras?"

"It's not as if I didn't believe or anything" said Haru, smiling uncomfortably "But it's the first time I've heard somebody talk so seriously about them..."

"Well, you do have the looks of a skeptic man" said Ty Lee, looking slightly annoyed "Surely you think all I'm saying is nonsense"

"Of course not! I'm just surprised, that's all!" exclaimed Haru, shaking his head "You can see auras, then?"

"Yup!" replied Ty Lee cheerfully. She could tell Haru wasn't too much of a believer, but he was keener to listen to her than most people she knew "I've seen auras ever since I was little! It's not too easy with people you've just met, but I can always see my friends' auras clearly; that's why I'm used to Mai's being as grey as she is"

"Is she really in such bad mood all the time?" asked Haru "I thought she acted this way because she didn't like me at all"

"Oh, of course not! She's always like this, I tell you... Well, except when she's with Zuko. Then it starts glowing and it becomes white and sparkly"

"It does?" asked Haru, surprised "That's a little unexpected... but I guess even a girl like her can find happiness from time to time"

"She's not as bad as she looks" said Ty Lee "Her indifference at everything makes her hard to understand, but she's a good person anyway"

"I'd believe you right away if I didn't know how biased you are about your friends" he teased her, making her blush

"I'm not biased! I just see the best things about people and I don't focus on their flaws!"

"Okay, okay!" said Haru, laughing "But in that case... what do you see in me? What color is my aura?"

Ty Lee stared at him for a moment, pondering her answer. She smiled a couple of seconds later and hugged her knees

"I think your aura is green, a very nice shade of green. You're a gentle and kind soul; you wouldn't hurt anyone willingly... You're not too enthusiastic about stuff, but you're satisfied with your life so far, I think" she said

"Nice analysis" said Haru, nodding "Although it's a little shallow, if I'm allowed to say the truth. There are a couple of things that could improve in my life, believe it or not"

"I said your life was satisfying, not perfect" she said, giggling "But what would you change about it? What would make it better?"

"Well... you seem pretty knowledgeable. I'm sure you can figure it out" said Haru with a slight blush

"I could... but I'd rather have you say it, if you don't mind" she mused, smiling

Haru couldn't get his eyes off her. He was astonished. The most amazing girl he'd ever met seemed to be implying what he thought she was saying? Did she want him to ask her out, was he really that lucky? The puzzled look on his face seemed to take Ty Lee aback, but she merely smiled and stood up.

"I'll leave you with that in mind for now" said Ty Lee "See you later, I guess"

"R-right…" he said, as she walked away. He felt an urge to call to her and ask her out on a date that very instant, but he didn't bring himself to do it. He decided to face his pile of earth once again, but apparently he wasn't focused enough to pull off a correct earth disk… She was turning his world upside down, he knew it, and he loved every second of it.

Mai raised an eyebrow in surprise at seeing her friend approaching once more, but the dazed look on her face was enough to tell her that something big had happened, or was about to happen.

"When's the wedding?" asked Mai playfully, smirking.

Ty Lee blushed wildly and stomped on the floor, embarrassed

"Mai!" she squealed, and Mai couldn't help but let out a fit of laughter, surprising even herself at it. She wasn't one to laugh out loud, but seeing her friend getting close to seize real happiness made her more cheerful than usual. Ty Lee had been through enough, she deserved to find a great man, and for what Mai had seen, Haru seemed to fit perfectly well into all the requirements to become Ty Lee's dream man…

….

"We're here!" said Katara, staring down from Apppa's saddle

"We are?" asked Aang, smiling "Finally!"

Despite all his intentions of flying all the way to Gaoling, Aang decided to stay on Appa's saddle for a while, at least during the last day of the trip. It had taken them three days to make it into the large town, but it had been a pleasant trip, even Toph seemed to be content despite her hatred for flying.

They landed on the outskirts of the town, and Toph frowned the very second her feet touched the ground. Memories flooded her, and sadly, she wasn't too fond of most of them.

"Home, sweet home…" she muttered, folding her arms. She turned her head towards the Beifong estate and sighed "I wonder what they'd do if they knew I'm nearby"

"Why don't you drop by and visit?" asked Aang innocently

"I don't want to!" said Toph, frowning "My parents haven't changed their minds, and I don't think they ever will, so I'm not going anywhere other than to Earth Rumble!"

"W-woah… alright!" said Aang, stepping away from her in slight fright.

"Let's go" said Zuko, pointing at the cave entrance nearby.

The mountain had always been the home of the Earth Rumble, and on the outside, it seemed to be very similar to what it was… except that the entrance had been covered with a large red carpet, and the inner walls of the cave seemed to have been remodeled to look much more formal and royal, with magnificent torches that weren't very Earth Kingdom-like.

"Azula definitely was here" said Aang, smiling a little at the decoration as he lead the rest of the group inside the cave.

Zuko had never seen this place before, but the other three were astounded at all the changes as they walked towards the Arena. Katara was actually pleased, everything looked much neater than it used to; Aang didn't seem to mind the changes, but Toph wouldn't stop frowning, missing the old Earth Rumble in which she'd beaten up tons of earthbenders who had believed themselves strong enough to defeat her.

When they finally reached the Arena, they were all impressed. All of Azula and Sokka's designs had come to reality with amazing precision, the stage had actually been reformed with metal and it was shaped as a hexagon, one half was blue and the other red; there were poles at each side of every grate, and they had been bound together with ropes, to avoid having any of them fall down the sides of the Arena. They stared at it with deep admiration, not even Toph could oppose this incredible ring now that it had come to reality. It was amazing, especially when thinking they'd only had two weeks to pull the whole thing off…

"You're finally here!" said Sokka, from a small balcony that was right in front of them

"It was about time. I didn't think Zuko would show up on time though, seeing as he's always late" said Azula, standing right next to Sokka

"Y-you guys… what is this?!" said Toph, in shock

Sokka smirked and opened his arms up in a gesture of greatness.

"Welcome… to the very first Pro-Bending Arena!"


	14. 14: On The Ring

"T-this is unbelievable…" said Katara, staring with disbelief at the new arena.

"I figured you'd love it!" said Sokka, smirking "We did our best at making this place amazing, after all!"

And not only had the central stage been renewed. The stands on the sides of the ring had been lifted and transformed into magnificent seats; the deep pool of water surrounding the arena was clear and beautiful. The earthy and underhand look of Earth Rumble had been wiped out completely.

"Y-you guys… y-you really overdid yourselves…" said Aang, impressed.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't easy, but we did it!" said Sokka, beaming with pride

"It would be wrong to take all the credit to ourselves" said Azula "That Mechanist did most of the work. But if I hadn't pushed him on as hard as I did, this would have been finished next month"

"And I can bet you're the one who made sure everything was perfect and pretty" said Zuko, who didn't really acknowledge the change as much as the others did; it was his first time in Earth Rumble, he'd never seen what it used to look like.

"Exactly" said Azula "Unlike you, I strive for perfection. Almost is never good enough"

"I feel bad for the Mechanist" said Zuko, shaking his head "He's probably passed out after so much hard work"

"He didn't do it all on his own" said Sokka "Lots of people helped us out! Actually… some people got her before you all, and they did their share of work…"

"Who?" asked Toph, raising an eyebrow.

She felt the footsteps of some people approaching from the public's seats, and she recognized three sets of feet at the very instant she sensed them. She turned around, amazed, towards her three star students, who'd been sitting on the farthest stands until they realized their teacher had arrived

"Sifu Toph!" squealed Penga, running at her at full speed

"Oh, you're here, you're here!" said Ho Tun, right behind her.

Naturally, the Dark One wouldn't bother sprinting in the same way his peers did, but he walked behind them while smiling just the slightest bit, showing that even he was glad to see his master once again

"Y-you guys!" said Toph, impressed "When did you get here?!"

"I gave them a call the other day" said Sokka proudly "We needed more than The Mechanist's miraculous skills to manage this in two weeks, and they were the first people that came to my mind"

"We all worked together, Sifu Toph!" said Penga "We made most of the stage with our own bare hands!"

"I thought doom had struck us when you left…" said Ho Tun "But then we came here, and the doom just vanished!"

"Thy grief from abandonment had slain my pride; but foolish it was to consider all hope wasted and gone" said the Dark One, and Toph shook her head in bewilderment

"You three are crazy" she said, but she grinned afterwards "But I'll recognize your hard work… I had no idea you were this good at metalbending already!"

"Yeah, we are!" said Ho Tun, jumping in cheer

"You should buy me plenty of shoes as a reward!" suggested Penga, with a wicked smile on her face

"Hey, I don't owe you anything" said Toph, smirking "You're the ones who should reward me for teaching you all the techniques you used to bend the stage and the stands, right?"

The Lily Livers seemed taken aback, and their teacher grinned happily as she turned to the rest of the group once again

"Is the water already within the stage?" asked Katara, looking at the grates with curiosity

"Yup, it's fully equipped already!" said Sokka proudly

"What about the earth disks?" asked Toph

"Haru's airship hasn't arrived yet" said Sokka, folding his arms "But we'd taken a couple of disks with us when we first came so that we'd fix up the mechanism to get the disks expelled as easily as possible"

"What sort of mechanism?" asked Toph, surprised

"Maybe you should take a closer look at the stage. You'll understand better when you watch the way it works" suggested Azula, walking towards a platform that stood a few feet away from the arena.

Sokka followed her with confident footsteps, and the rest of the group followed. The Lily Livers stayed behind, still working on bending the stands. When they finally reached the platform, the Mechanist showed up through the very tunnel which they had used previously to enter the Pro-Bending Arena, looking exhausted, but cheerful.

"Sokka! Haru's airship is finally arriving!" he declared, looking beaten

"That's great news!" said the Water Tribe boy, grinning "I'll be right there! Azula, can you show them the stage on your own?"

"How can you even ask something like that?" she said, rolling her eyes "Of course I can. In fact, it'll be safer for a bender such as me to deal with other benders rather than having you do it. You're better off away from the stage if you know what's good for you"

Sokka seemed a little taken aback by her answer, which he should have seen coming despite all. He knew her better than that.

"You don't have to be so mean…" he muttered, while turning around and heading towards the exit with the Mechanist

"I agree with him" said Aang, frowning "You're acting cruelly towards him even when you like him?"

"Is this news to you?" asked Azula "I'm not kind with anyone. You shouldn't be so surprised"

"You're weird" said Aang, shaking his head

"I'd rather say I'm unique" muttered Azula, smirking "Well, what are you waiting for? Get on the platform already"

The other four seemed insecure, but they obeyed her nonetheless. Azula approached a lever on the side of the platform and she pushed it forwards. To everyone's surprise, they moved swiftly and slowly towards the stage, bringing them to the center of the Arena in a matter of minutes

"You even had time to make a moving platform?" asked Zuko, astonished

"We had a flaw on our plans" said Azula "A ridiculous one, actually. If the stage was to be on the middle of the arena, how were you going to get there? You're supposed to save your energy for the moment of the fight, so having you bend your way to the stage didn't seem like a good plan. I had the Mechanist come up with this so that he'd make a moving platform; it seemed the only way since extending a bridge from the ends of the stage to connect with the rest of the arena would ruin the 'falling down from the back' part of the test"

"Why not a retractile bridge?" asked Katara

Azula frowned, thinking about it

"That might have worked as well, but it would have needed a complex mechanism to work adequately as well. Making a platform or a bridge would have amounted to the same thing if you think about it this way"

Katara nodded, surprised at the rational way Azula had replied to her. She had half-expected one of her typical cruel answers as she addressed her as a "peasant", but to her surprise, it didn't happen. Maybe she was finally getting to see the other side of the Fire Nation Princess…

They got off the platform the second it reached the edge of the ring, and they walked on the stage, taking in its details and making sure it was an adequate place to fight.

"Seems like you did a good job, Lily Livers!" exclaimed Toph, and her students seemed to be thrilled to hear her acknowledging them as she stepped hard on the metallic structure, sensing all the vibrations perfectly "It's perfect, I can see without any problems whatsoever!"

"Good to know" said Aang, grinning

Katara approached the center of the stage and stared at the grate below her. She took a deep breath and bended a small amount of water outside its prison without difficulty

"Not bad" she said, as she spun the water around her in circles

"Bandit" said Azula, turning to Toph "There are a few earth disks within this tube. Can you bend them now? We need to make sure the mechanism is actually working"

"Oh, sure thing!" said Toph, running towards the tube where she sensed the earth disks "How is this mechanism supposed to work anyways?"

"It dwells with counterweight" said Azula "The disks are settled on a metallic structure that we've attached to a very heavy rock. The goal of this system is that, when you take an earth disk out of the tube, it lifts the next ones automatically so that you won't be overexerting yourself bending them upwards to get them out of the tubes"

"Gee, that's actually pretty thoughtful" said Toph "Did you come up with that?"

"Not really" said Azula "Sokka realized that small detail; personally I didn't really care if you had to waste time and energy bending the disks upwards, but the Mechanist devised this system and I had to admit it was brilliant enough to carry out"

"Meh, I should have figured as much" said Toph, stretching "You wouldn't be that selfless"

"Indeed, I wouldn't" said Azula, smirking "Well? Bend one already"

Toph took her stance and raised her hand; the earth disk on the top of the pile levitated slowly, obeying her movements perfectly. To Azula's satisfaction, the next disk moved upwards as soon as Toph lifted the first one.

"Perfect" she said, nodding "We'll have to make sure every tube works adequately after the earthbender arrives with the rest of the disks, but I believe he can do the job on his own, you won't be needed for that"

"I could help out anyways" said Toph, and she struck a puch forwards. The disk she'd just bent flew at full speed and crashed loudly against a wall opposite to them, getting shattered after being tossed with such force.

"Wasting a disk in that manner isn't something I approve of" muttered Azula "But it's a relief to see you can fight properly using them as weapons"

"I'm the Greatest Earthbender in the World" said Toph, smirking "What else would you have expected?"

"You're the self-proclaimed Greatest Earthbender in the World" corrected Azula "But I'll acknowledge your prowess, despite it all"

Toph seemed ticked off by Azula's comment, but she let it slide for once. The Fire Nation Princess turned towards Katara, who had returned the water to the grate

"Can you bend adequately in these conditions?" she asked

Katara nodded and brought out a stream of water quickly, directing it towards the very spot Toph had crashed the earth disk against, washing away the dirt she'd left on the wall.

"It seems I can do this" said the waterbender, satisfied

"Good" said Azula, and now she looked at her brother "Well? Aren't you going to make sure you can bend properly on the stage?"

"I think I can, there's not much of a difference with bending here or anywhere else" said Zuko, stretching.

He performed one of his trademark firebending routines with ease, and he shot out two fireballs when he finished. His two flames vanished once they reached the other side of the ring, and Azula saw them vanish with disgust

"Oh, please… Is that all you can do? Didn't you train with dragons and find the true meaning of fire? This is a mockery of what a Royal Firebender would be able to do"

Zuko felt the rage filling him up as he stared at his sister with anger

"Y-yeah, sure… Why don't you give it a try if you're so much better than I am?!"

"With pleasure" said Azula, smirking

She shot out two fireballs, very similar to the ones Zuko had just created, but hers were, naturally, blue. They managed to reach the very same spot Katara and Toph had struck with their own bending styles, and Zuko seemed notoriously disappointed with himself

"See?" muttered his sister, grinning with malicious joy

"Hey, hey, no need to argue!" said Aang, standing between both of them before Zuko lost control and challenged his sister to an Agni Kai "It seems like everything works perfectly, so… why not cool off and have a nice day's rest? The big test's tomorrow, right?"

"Indeed" said Azula "But you haven't tested your skills over here yet. Show us you can bend properly on this stage and we'll leave"

Aang smiled with slight discomfort and nodded. He turned towards the water grate and raised a small amount of water, forming a small pool of water which he spun around for a few seconds. Azula frowned, thinking that such simple form of bending wasn't what she expected to see from the Avatar... Aang threw the water towards the other extreme of the ring, and just like Zuko's fire, his water fell apart the very second it was outside the stage. He later turned to the earth disks and took a deep breath as he lifted the one on top… but he used too much force and the disk went upwards wildly.

"Woah!" he said, shocked as the disk kept moving towards the ceiling.

"What…?" said Toph, surprised "What's wrong with you, Twinkle Toes?"

The disk collapsed nearly on the very same spot which Aang had taken it from. He smiled with discomfort and scratched his head, wondering how to make up for his clumsy displays.

"Aang, are you okay?" asked Katara

"He's fine" muttered Azula, her stare fixated upon him "Firebend now, Avatar"

Aang nodded, and Katara stared at the Princess with contempt. How dared she pretend to know how Aang was feeling? She knew nothing about him, and she clearly didn't care about him either! But the Avatar obeyed Azula and threw forwards an array of fire fists, of which only a few managed to get past Zone 3 of the other half of the stage. Zuko frowned. He hadn't seen Aang bending so badly since their first training practices, and even then he had been better than this.

"What's the matter, Aang?" he asked

"I… I guess I'm just tired" said the Avatar, smiling "Don't worry, guys… I'm fine! Seriously!"

"Why are you lying?" asked Toph, folding her arms "I can tell you're lying"

"W-what? Why would I lie to you guys?!" said Aang, laughing nervously "I'm fine, honestly"

"Well, I really don't care much either way" said Toph, shrugging "If you're really going to bend so badly tomorrow then it'll be a good thing for us, we'll beat you down in ten seconds"

"Y-yeah, right…" said Aang, staring at her with irritation

"Aang, are you sure you're okay?" asked Katara "Do you need to talk to me about this?"

"No, don't worry, I'm alright" said Aang, grinning "Let's go back already, okay?"

"I don't think so" said Azula, surprising them all "You three can leave" she said, staring at Zuko, Toph and Katara "But I need a word with you before you go, Avatar"

"What?!" asked Katara, staring at the Princess with anger "No way I'm leaving just because you say so!"

"I didn't say you had a choice" said Azula "Leave now, I'm not planning on skewering your beloved boyfriend or anything of the sort"

"Your word isn't really of that much value" said Katara, frowning "You don't think I can trust you so easily, do you?"

"But you can trust me, right?" said Aang, smiling "Don't worry, guys. I'll be fine; it's just going to be a small conversation!"

Katara frowned, still insecure. If Aang's bending had actually become as weak as it seemed just now, she didn't believe he'd be able to fight against Azula properly if she actually had impure intentions… but then again, why was Aang's bending so weak all of sudden? Was her really hiding something from all of them? The thought made her feel betrayed, and the slight anger she felt while thinking of this was enough to make her walk onto the platform once again, frowning. She'd make sure to get Aang to talk to her once he got away from the crazy Fire Nation Princess, and she wasn't going to take any answer other than the truth anymore.

Toph followed her with her hands resting on the back of her head. Zuko stepped towards the platform, but he stared at his best friend and his sister for one last time. He had to trust her, even if she was still as cruel as ever…

The Fire Lord moved the lever back to its original position, and the platform pulled away, to Aang's slight fright. He didn't know why Azula needed to talk to him alone, but it was quite a terrifying thought, to be with her in the middle of a stage distant from everyone else. If Azula tried to pull something, it'd take ages for someone to arrive… but he knew he could take her on, even if it didn't seem that way to anyone else.

"Well? Why did you pull off such mockery of bending?" asked Azula, staring at him with stern eyes

"W-what? You mean… what I just did? Oh, it was no mockery! I just… held back, that's all" said Aang, aware of the fact that Azula could read into people's heart with even more precision than Toph.

"That much is blatantly obvious" she muttered "The question was WHY did you do it? There are only a few reasons why you'd do something so ridiculous: either you were afraid of hurting me and your silly friends, or your bending has actually become so ridiculous despite having spent all this time training, or…"

"Or…?" said Aang, raising an eyebrow

"Or your bending is better than ever before, but you don't wish to show it. That hardly makes sense, unless you're trying to surprise them all tomorrow, but you could have bended in your previous style despite having become stronger if that were the case… therefore, I believe your bending style has changed. Why?"

Aang was in shock. The Princess's amber eyes pierced right through him, with one look she had seen beyond what anyone else had noticed… why? How? She didn't even know him that well!

"The dumbstruck look on your face is enough of an answer" said Azula, smirking

"H-how did you…? How could you notice?!" he asked

"Your body" she said, surprising Aang

"Huh?!" he said, astonished

"You used to be quite the thin little monk" said Azula "Even when you've spent your entire life bending, you had never been too built up. But your legs look stronger than ever before, and your arms are also thicker. You've been training on something other than the elements, haven't you?"

"M-maybe…" said Aang, folding his arms "I don't see why you should care about it, though…"

"I don't actually care" said Azula "I'm merely curious, that's all there is to this"

"Huh, really?" asked Aang "You're a very good liar, why wouldn't you be trying to pull my leg here once again?"

"What would I gain of it?" she said, narrowing her eyes "You people are dumber than I thought. You're all so certain that I'm merely doing everything I can because I have some creepy plot to kill you all or something of the sort… what good would it be for me to rid the world from all of you? I'd become a public enemy in a matter of seconds, I'm almost a public enemy right now. I don't need to make myself look worse than I already do in the eyes of the rest of the world, do I?"

"Y-you're right about that, but…" mumbled Aang, still distrustful "But being able to see right through me in this way… I can't trust that at all, I'm sorry, but I just can't"

"You were painfully obvious" she said, sighing "No one on his right mind would see you bend so poorly and believe it without questioning you first. But if you need to know what my first clue was… your earthbending. If you'd actually become that pathetic of a bender, you wouldn't have been able to lift the disk at all. Afterwards I merely took a good look at you and I figured out what was happening with you"

"Oh… I see" said Aang, scratching his head "I'll admit you're really observant, I guess"

"Of course I am" she said "That's what puts me apart from the likes of you, Avatar"

"Huh… I guess so" said Aang, frowning

"Very well, then… what's so odd about your new style of bending?" asked Azula "Show me, now"

"W-wait! I can't just show you!" said Aang, shaking his head

"Why not? You don't think I'm good enough for you?" she asked, feeling insulted

"No! I just… I don't want anyone to see my skills before the real deal…" said Aang

"Nobody else is in here anymore" said Azula "Your friends and the metalbenders are gone already, look around and you'll see I'm right"

Aang obeyed her and realized she was telling the truth. The Princess walked towards the red half of the stage, and gestured towards Aang to make him stand on the blue side

"Let's make this a battle, shall we? The first Pro-Bending battle ever" she said, grinning "Do you think you can take me on, Avatar?"

"I really don't want to…" he sighed, as he headed towards the other side of the ring "But I'll do it if that's what it'll take to have this end already"

Azula didn't seem bothered at all at hearing Aang say he wanted to go away as quickly as possible, she was too busy embracing the uncontrollable joy of fighting once again, fighting an enemy worthy of her…

"We'll play by the rules, Avatar, is that alright with you?" said Azula

"Sure" he replied, taking a fighting stance very unlike a bender's…

Azula's eyes widened immediately. She'd seen that stance for ages now… she knew it too well to pretend she'd never seen it before… and suddenly everything was clear. Of course he'd become physically stronger, now it was clear why his arms were burlier and muscular…

"A-are you okay?" asked Aang, surprised

Azula smirked and shook her head, staring at him with incredulity

"So that's what happened. No wonder you didn't want to let anyone see your newly found skills…"

"W-what?!" he said, in shock "Don't tell me that just by looking at me you knew…!"

"Of course I knew!" she said, with a bark of hysterical laughter "For how long do you think I've known Mai and Ty Lee? It all makes sense now! And of course… with what they taught you, you might even be stronger than your enemies now… It was a brilliant strategy, too brilliant, in fact…"

Aang was ecstatic. He didn't think she'd notice the change even before he started bending… Yes, she knew her friends very well if she could recognize them in his fighting stance so easily.

"Well, let's see how much of a better fighter you've become thanks to them" she said, smirking "Come on, Avatar. Strike me with your best shot!"

Aang took a deep breath and lifted an earth disk quickly, so quickly that it surprised Azula. She managed to jump out of the way on the last moment, since Aang bent the disk to fly straight towards her just a second after raising it. Azula jumped back to the place she'd been standing on previously and she performed a high jump now, blue flames dancing around the foot she was aiming towards Aang's head…

But a water whip stopped her in midair by surrounding her waist. A water trap forced her to return to the ground, to both her and Aang's surprise, since he hadn't even thought of stopping Azula in this manner… He looked towards the end of the ring and he was dumbstruck at seeing Katara standing on the platform, holding one of her strongest waterbending stances, having trapped Azula with it.

The Princess, irked, released a wave of fire with her hands and feet that vaporized the water around her. She stood up and stared at Katara with deep hatred, reflecting the expression on the Water Tribe girl's eyes. They'd never been able to accept each other, no matter how hard they tried to get along. It finally was time to put an end to their quarrel for once and for all.

_Muahahaha! I outdid myself! After keeping you away from updates for a while, here you go another long one owo and personally… I loved the end to this one :D These two need to work out their issues too, but if they don't want to talk… then maybe they should talk with their bending? xD anyways, I hope to give you all another update soon, and I'll say that this is nearing its final chapters… As I said, I'll make another fic afterwards, much more Sokkla oriented, and it surely will be much shorter than this, but look forward to it anyways! So please review and comment about this one so far, so that I know what you think of it so far… and if there's something you'd like to see eventually, I might be able to make it come true on the last chapters, you never know! ^^ well, that's pretty much it! Wait patiently for the next one! ^^_


	15. 15: Emotinal Blasts

"What are you both doing?!" asked Aang, jumping between both girls at once "Stop right now!"

"No, Aang!" said Katara, a deep frown on her face "I'm not going to stop this time. I'm sick and tired of her lies and deceits! I'm putting an end to this NOW!"

"It seems like the stupid peasant is asking for a lesson" muttered Azula, her hands basked in fire "And I'll teach it to her gladly. Seems like the first battle on the Pro-Bending Arena won't be ours anymore, Avatar"

"No! Don't do this!" yelled Aang "Katara, this isn't what it seemed like!"

"Oh, I'm sure it's not" said the waterbender with her voice impregnated with sarcasm "Don't worry, Aang, I don't mean to fight her just because of this. My resentment towards her goes way back, and it's finally time to get this over with"

"Your resentment... how ludicrous" said Azula "I'm the one who should be claiming to resent and despise you, but I was under the impression you would be more civilized than this. Well, if this is the way you want it, I'll be more than glad to beat you up and teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"

"Bring it on!" yelled Katara, raising water up from the grate in front of her

Azula didn't even think twice before unleashing a massive wave of fire at the waterbender, who used the water she had available as a shield, but she barely managed to protect herself. Azula didn't falter, her fire seemed as powerful as ever as she unleashed the amount of her anger towards the Water Tribe Peasant who'd never accept her, who'd never approve of her, who'd taken everything she had once held dear and who wished to take what she held dear nowadays as well. But she wouldn't let her; not this time. She would punish her for her deeds, and make sure that puny girl would learn her lesson for once and for all.

"STOP THIS NOW!" yelled Aang, but his screams weren't enough to interrupt the two duelists.

Katara used only one arm to continue upholding her shield, and she brought the other one upwards quickly. A pillar of water was discharged from the grates brusquely, right between Azula's feet. The Princess was forced to forget about her target for an instant and used fire to propel herself backwards just in time before the water struck her wildly. Katara took Azula's jump as her advantage and threw several ice darts at her enemy, which Azula melted using quick fire punches. But just when the Princess seemed to be about to display her incredible skills as a firebender, Katara raised both her hands gradually, her feet steady on the ground, and the water that had been smooth and still at the bottom of the arena rose with her, creating an immense water wall. Azula frowned and calmed her emotions down swiftly to generate lightning, to Katara's dismay. Lightning and water were definitely a bad combination… but she had to try to unleash her wave of water before Azula could fire her lightning…

And suddenly, a brutal draft swept them both off their stances and made them lose control of their bendings; Azula cast her lightning up to the roof of the cave, which caused a small cave-in. Rocks fell onto the stage, almost crashing her and her oponent. Katara's water wall fell right back from where it had come from as she flew backwards, away from Azula, who had been sent to the opposite direction.

Aang, looking more furious than what either of them had ever seen, stood between them, casting disappointed looks at both girls

"What the hell did you two think you were doing?! What's wrong with you?! You could have killed each other! Are you both insane?!" he asked, stomping on the floor with rage

Katara panted and crawled, raising her head slightly and looking at her angered boyfriend. Aang was terrifying in this very instant, as if he'd been willing to go to any extreme to stop her fight with Azula.

"You're taking your stupid rivalry too far!" yelled Aang "It's ridiculous! I don't care if you think she is evil, Katara, and I don't care if you're still mad because she got you all those years ago, Azula! Just grow up, both of you, and face the fact that the past will always stay in the past, and bringing it to the present won't do any good to anyone! Get over your hatred and give each other a chance!"

Katara lowered her eyes, staring at the floor now. Reality seemed to strike her now, as she started to realize how absurd her outburst had been. She had cast away all her common sense at the mere thought of seeing her beloved Aang getting hurt by Azula, without thinking that, maybe, her worries were unnecessary. She had walked onto the stage with the purpose of beating the Princess up, even slaying her, when in truth, Azula might have had something else planned rather than what it looked like...

"Will you both stop acting like psychos now?" asked Aang "Can you at least try to get along?"

Azula lowered her head, something very surprising and unexpected from her. The three of them remained silent; Aang stared at them in turns, wondering if they'd say anything at all. Both girls seemed ashamed of their behaviours, but still unwilling to apologize at all.

To the Avatar's annoyance and dissapointment, Azula merely turned around and walked to the mobile platform, and without looking back at all, she slammed the lever and led herself away from the ring just a few seconds before someone else re-entered the Arena.

"What... What's going on here?" asked Sokka, staring at the stage with utter confusion

Katara seemed even more ashamed the second she saw her brother looking at her. Even after the serious conversation they had shared only a few days ago, she had jumped at the paranoid thought of Azula hurting someone she cared about, even if she wasn't going to hurt Aang at all. She felt truly dissapointed with herself at thinking she had let her brother down after acting on her emotions and fears, attacking the girl he loved... would he ever forgive her for what she'd done?

Azula cringed as well when she heard Sokka's voice. Oh, she was never going to hear the end of this... she had let her self-control slip just because Katara had attacked her... Surely it was more than obvious that she hadn't wanted things to turn out this way, but the second she felt herself enveloped in water, her hatred for the element and the girl controlling it got the best of her. She could have refused to fight and explained everything to Katara, and Aang surely would have backed her up, but she chose to fight back impulsively, and she knew she'd pay the consequences eventually.

Nobody answered Sokka, but no one had to do it for him to imagine what had undergone on the ring. Haru, Mai and Ty Lee had arrived right behind him, and they also seemed pretty impressed at what they were seeing on the ring.

"What's...?" started Ty Lee, but Mai lifted her arm in front of her to tell her to keep quiet

The platform finally reached steady ground once more, and Azula knew most eyes were upon her at the moment. She couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh and she struck the lever again, making it move back to the ring so that Aang and Katara wouldn't have such a hard time getting out of the structure.

Such an act of kindness coming from Azula impressed all the witnesses. She jumped off the platform as it started to move and she walked away without looking back. Sokka frowned at seeing her head off so quickly; it wasn't like her to run from a situation like this… and he wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily. He didn't really know what had happened, but he was determined to find her and ask her right away.

The rest of the group merely watched Sokka run in the direction Azula had gone to, but nobody else followed. In the current times, the one who understood her best was him.

"Katara…" said Aang, turning to the girl, who was sitting on the floor now

"I… I'm so sorry, Aang…" she said, trying to hold in her tears "I didn't mean to let myself get out of control this way, but… I just…"

Aang sat in front of Katara, who had covered her face with her hands while trying to stop her tears from flowing.

"I'm sorry too" he said "I lost my cool when the two of you started fighting… I should have kept calm, but I couldn't just let you both attack each other in that way…"

"I'm sorry…" said Katara, shaking her head "I… I was stupid and selfish, and… I thought she wanted to hurt you, and I just wanted to keep her away from you… I love you too much to let her hurt you in any way…"

Aang hugged Katara and she ended up crying on his chest, not even knowing what to say anymore. But the Avatar still had several things in mind he wished to convey to the girl he loved the most

"It's not very nice of me to say so, but seeing you so worried about me makes me a little happy" he muttered, smiling slightly "Still… you didn't need to lose control. I know things looked awful, I had promised you nothing troublesome would happen and it really didn't look that way when we started fighting, but even so, we were actually just going to spar for a while, by following the Pro-Bending rules so that we wouldn't hurt each other accidentally"

"I… I should have known…" muttered Katara "I mean… you wouldn't have just fought against her for no reason…"

"I understand that you can't trust her" said Aang, stroking Katara's hair "But couldn't you trust me either? I've never promised you anything in vain…"

"I'm sorry, Aang" said Katara "But… but you're keeping too many secrets from me already, and I didn't have enough patience to deal with all of this..."

Aang seemed surprised at her words, his eyes widened as the truth downed upon him. His lies hadn't been as meaningless to Katara as they had been for him; she must have beaten herself over them multiple times, trying to find a way to keep calm while being desperate to discover what he kept hiding from her, and to discover why had he resorted to hide the truth in the first place.

"Katara..." he muttered, holding her even closer "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean for this to happen... I thought I could keep this from you, because it's not even such a big deal... But it's true, I was a fool for making this such a secret and for lying to you the way I did. I have no excuse..."

"That's not true... I'm sure you had your reasons, but I couldn't... I just couldn't accept to be kept in the shadows like this..."

"I'm sorry... I promise I'll never lie to you again" said Aang "And I'll tell you the truth about what I'd been doing in the afternoons, the truth about my training... But please, Katara, please... tell me you'll try to give her a chance. Talk to her, and try to stop your emotions from gaining the upper hand at this. I won't ask you both to become best friends or to forget completely about the way you feel towards the other, but I have to ask you to start leaving it all in the past. You both need to move on already"

Katara nodded and rested her head on Aang's chest. She knew it would never be easy for her to take in Azula, and surely the same would apply with the Princess, but both Sokka and Aang wanted them to try and get along, and deep down, she also wanted to bid farewell all her resentment and anger towards Azula and start anew. She didn't expect to get along with her completely... but she could try to understand and accept her for once and for all

"I'll try... I'm sorry, Aang..." she said one last time.

A couple more tears fell from her eyes as the Avatar craddled her with care, keeping her as close to him as he could to show her he'd always hold and support her, no matter what.

…...

Azula stormed into the inn they'd been staying in since they had arrived to Gaoling. The landlord tried to welcome her with a jolly greeting, but she didn't even bother looking at him as she ran up the stairs at full speed. She walked up three flights until she arrived to the floor where her room awaited, and she slammed the door as soon as she was inside.

She had run with the mere purpose of escaping such an irritating atmosphere. She didn't feel like standing by while hearing that annoying peasant weeping for forgiveness and swaying everyone with her charms, making them all believe she was the one at fault for this mess. Well, they were more than welcome to think in whichever way they wanted to! In her eyes, she hadn't done anything wrong! If Miss Water Tribe wanted to make a victim out of herself, it was fine by Azula. She knew the truth about what had just happened...

Just as she was about to start searching for ways to vent her stress, loud and repeated knocks struck her door. It didn't even take her a second to figure out who was outside, since he was the only one other than herself who knew which one was her room, but in all truth, she didn't want to see him right now.

"Azula! Open up!" yelled Sokka, still hitting the door "Please, let me in!"

Azula looked at the door while pondering he she should allow her boyfriend inside her room or not. She feared retribution for what had just occurred, and she was certain she didn't deserve it. But even so, she had attacked Sokka's sister ruthlessly rather than shaking her off, and she couldn't deny she had been willing to send out a lightning strike to finish the girl before the Avatar interrupted them.

"Azula, please!" begged Sokka "Just open the stupid door! Come on, let me in already!"

Azula sighed and folded her arms. Would Sokka still stand by her side after all of this? Would his sister forgive him for running after her rather than staying to witness her little tragical act?

"Open up already! C'mon, just do it!" shouted Sokka "If you don't open the ruddy door, I'll... I'll..."

He struggled as he tried to find an adequate threat, one that she wouldn't find offensive and that was possible for him to make reality, when the door swung inwards and revealed the girl he was longing to see

"You were going to do what, exactly?" she asked, frowning

"I… was still working on it" admitted Sokka with a sigh.

Azula rolled her eyes, apparently exasperated, and Sokka realized she wasn't going to be lenient with his jokes this time

"Why did you follow me?" she asked "Why didn't you stay to hear your sister's and the Avatar's explanation?"

"Because I wanted to hear yours, not theirs" said Sokka, with complete honesty "Can I come in?"

Azula couldn't hide the emotion in her eyes at hearing him say the words she'd wanted him to tell her… He cared more about what she had to say… Even so, she tried to keep her cool as she stepped away from the door and allowed him inside.

"Thanks" said Sokka, closing the door after crossing the threshold "Well…? What happened?"

Azula shook her head as she approached the window of her room. Naturally, she had requested the room with the best view, but not even staring down on the city could make her forget her bitterness, and she didn't really want to relive it by telling Sokka about it…

"Do I have to guess?" asked Sokka, crossing his arms

"Go ahead" said Azula, frowning. She'd just correct him in whatever mistakes he made, that wasn't too hard to do

"Katara and you tried to kill each other off even when I've told you both to stop hating the other for what happened ages ago" said Sokka, shrugging "How accurate was that?"

"As usual, you focus only on what you saw to reach your conclusion" muttered Azula "You never look beyond what's right in front of your nose"

"No, I don't. That's why I had to ask you what happened" said Sokka "You're the only one with the answers for all those things I'm never able to see clearly, so why shouldn't I have come to you now?"

Azula sighed with exasperation and stared on towards the horizon, but she wasn't really looking at anything, her mind was filled with irritation and rage

"I made the four combatants bend on the ring because I wished to make sure they could fight adequately on it. But I realized the Avatar's fighting style had changed, therefore I sent the others away and confronted him on my own; by the end I told him we should hold the first Pro-Bending fight right there, only because I wished to see his improvement directly, but your sister showed up uninvited and decided to strike me with her waterbending before I could hurt her beloved Avatar. As if he couldn't have defended himself if it had been necessary…"

"And that made you attack her" said Sokka "Which made Aang yell at both of you for being so silly, right?"

"Silly?" repeated Azula with disbelief "If you'd seen the killer intent with which your sister attacked me, you wouldn't call me silly for fighting back!"

"I said you both were silly! That clearly includes her!" said Sokka, raising his arms as if to defend himself "Listen… I know how Katara feels about you well enough to know this wasn't your fault, but you have to promise me to keep your cool from now on rather than trying to show her who's boss whenever she loses her temper at you"

"Oh, so I'm the one who needs to change her ways? I'm the one that should grow up?!" snapped Azula, finally looking at him with a furious glare.

It never ceased to amaze her when Sokka kept completely calm whenever he saw her lose control like this. As a matter of fact, his eyes became soothing and gentle, as if hoping to cool down her fiery spirit only by locking their eyes together

"Azula… relax" he said, walking towards her and putting his hands on her shoulders "I didn't mean it to sound as if you were completely wrong, and I certainly don't think Katara was right to attack you like this. In fact, as soon as I can get a chance to do it, I'll go talk to her, but I know I won't accomplish anything by it"

"If that's the case, I won't stop fighting back if she tries to get to me" said Azula

"That's not the point" said Sokka "First of all: you have to stop fighting her. It's only going to make your rivalry worse than it already is, and I assure you that nobody wants that; not even you two. I know you, Azula, and I know you wish things went differently with Katara even if you don't want to say it out loud"

"Oh, please…" she said, baffled, but Sokka hadn't finished

"Which leads me to the second point: you are the one who should talk to her. I'm not doing anything by being your spokesperson nor hers; if you two don't work out your issues, nobody else will. So you'll talk to her, face to face, and you'll get this mess over with, okay?"

"Are you giving me orders, by any chance?" asked Azula, still enraged

"I wish I could give you orders, Azula" said Sokka, shaking his head "I'm only asking you to do this. I can't deal with this on my own, and you should have noticed it by now, being as observant as you always are"

Azula wanted to retort something cruel at Sokka, but she couldn't find anything appropriate at the moment. She just sighed and lowered her stare to his surprise, and shook her head once again

"I can't do something like that. Normally I wouldn't refuse anything… but that's impossible. I'd be digging my own grave by being dumb enough to attempt to talk to her, and if you weren't able to realize this, you're blinder than your earthbender friend"

"I know…" said Sokka, sighing "It's just that Katara is completely sure that you haven't changed the slightest, and truth is, you haven't shown her much proof of your transformation…"

"And what do you want me to do, then? Give her a bouquet of flowers and ask her to become best friends forever?" said Azula with as much sarcasm as she could muster

"See?" said Sokka "That's why she can't trust you, because you wouldn't want to fix things in the first place"

"Oh, so I'm a terrible monster for being realistic, am I?" asked Azula "Sokka, even if I wanted her to forgive me, even if that was my heart's deepest desire, it would never happen! Your sister is the definition of stubbornness, and she despises me with all her soul! So forget it! I can't do anything about this!"

"Didn't you say Mai would never ever forgive you as well?" asked Sokka

"Mai is different" muttered Azula "She might have resented me deeply for what I did, but in truth, I just needed to apologize and show her I'd changed for real, and she had already been half-convinced by Ty Lee in the first place"

"And isn't that what you need to do as well?" asked Sokka "Besides, I'm sure that Aang will explain Katara what was happening between you and him, and she'll realize how wrong she was to attack you. Don't you think there's the slightest possibility of you talking to her and making her see she has been wrong about you?"

"Has she?" muttered Azula "In truth… she isn't even so wrong about me. She's only judging me for what I'd done when I was after all of you, and she believes me to be a monster. For all you know, she might be right, and I'm just waiting for the right chance to strike you all for good"

Sokka rolled his eyes and stared at her with disbelief

"Are you seriously saying this? Come on, Azula! Quit it! You're acting as if there were some sort of demon inside you, a demon you can't control!"

"For all you know, it might be that way" said Azula, staring at him spitefully

"Don't be ridiculous" muttered Sokka "Azula, this is stupid. You're not a monster, and you know you've changed and become a much better person than you used to be, so stop this nonsense already!"

"Alright, let's say I'm wrong!" said Azula, pacing around the room "What proof is there of it? For all you know, I'm waiting for the right moment to strike you all and kill the Avatar or something of the sort! Truth to be told, that's what all your friends are expecting me to do, starting with my own brother!"

"Azula, you're thinking too far into this!" said Sokka "And besides, who cares what all of them think? You are who you are! Since when have you been so easy to sway into believing yourself to be less than what you are?"

Azula seemed angry, but while his words sank in, she realized how right he was. She sighed and shook her head for the millionth time, trying to hold in all the feelings that were taking control of her right there and then.

"It's… more complicated than it seems" she muttered, hugging herself as if to hold in her anxiety "I… I'm not half as strong as you believe me to be…"

Sokka caressed her cheek and she couldn't hold in the tears anymore. It was so messed up, so complicated and absurd… she just couldn't live with her head in such disarray…

"What is it, Azula?" he asked "You can just tell me. I'll do the best I can to help you out, I promise…"

"I just… I don't even know myself anymore… It's as if there really was a demon within me… i-it even feels that way… as if I could just close my eyes, and the next minute I'll be standing in front of mountains of people I'd killed with my own hands without even knowing what I did… Y-you all fear me… but not even half as much as I fear myself…"

Sokka was impressed at hearing her admit something like this. As far as he was aware of, Azula was in complete and full control of herself; her descent into madness had been cleansed and erased by now, but it was clear she was afraid of losing herself once more…

He wrapped her with his arms, trying to soothe her somehow, not knowing if it'd be of any use. He hated to see her cry, even if this wasn't the first time he'd witnessed her tears he still felt helpless and useless, as if there was nothing he could do to help her. She clung onto his shirt, as if needing a support other than herself to stay standing, afraid of falling apart.

"I don't fear you" said Sokka, caressing her black hair sweetly

Azula nodded. Out of all the things either of them had said today, the most real statement had been the one he'd just made. At first he'd been terrified of her, that was for sure, but the closer they had become, the deeper he had delved down into her real self, and the less he feared her. Truth to be told, Sokka was the only reason why she truly wished to change, the only reason why she wanted to become a stronger person, a better person…

"Azula… I can understand why you're so scared" said Sokka, pulling her even closer "You've grown to actually care about people, and you're afraid of becoming someone who might drive them away, right? Well… I'll let you know I'm not going anywhere" he said, smiling slightly "But if you wish for everything to improve, for everyone to welcome you gladly… you'll have to change even more than you already have"

"W-what do you mean?" she asked

"You'll have to give it all up, all you used to be, to create yourself anew" said Sokka, to her suprise

"What... what is that supposed to mean? I have to change beyond recognition to stop being afraid?"

"It means you have to learn to be in complete control of yourself, but if you can't be in control of Princess Azula... then maybe it's time for you to become just Azula. By casting away all those things that made you the powerful and deadly princess, you'll learn to know yourself, to understand everything you feel and do, to defy all those who try to change what you think of yourself, because nobody knows you better than you do"

"That's a lie..." she muttered "You know me better than I do"

Sokka chuckled and caressed her hair endearingly

"That probably means you need a good amount of self-bonding time or something, because I don't think even I know you well enough yet" he said "Will you do it? Will you change who you are?"

"I... I'll try. But I can't promise I'll change so much" she said "Many of my traits are engraved in my very soul..."

"That's fine, because all you need to do is give up on some things to become somebody better" he said, smiling at her

"But... how much do I have to change?" she asked "I might end up becoming somebody so different that you wouldn't even know me anymore, let alone like me..."

"Azula, I don't like you: I love you. With every fiber of my being" said Sokka, looking at her with gentle eyes "You don't need to be afraid of losing me, because you never will. Even if you get sick of me and fall in love with a better man than me, I'll still love you and I'll still do my best to stay by your side, supporting you even if you don't need me"

"How... how foolish can you be?" asked Azula, staring at him in bewilderment "How could I ever fall in love with anyone else? You're... you're just a stupid peasant, but I love you more than I've loved anything or anyone else..."

Sokka smiled and held her hands on his own. She was trembling, probably due to the amount of feelings she was dealing with right there and then, but his touch seemed to appease her

"Then there's nothing to fear for either one of us" said Sokka "Let yourself go, let the real you flourish. No matter what happens, I'll be here for you, always. And that's a promise"

Azula stared at him in awe, moved. Nobody else had ever been so gentle and caring towards her before, it was the first time she had experienced being so important for someone else.

"Then... can you...?" she started, blushing slightly

"Yes?" said Sokka "You can ask me anything, it's okay..."

"Could you... could you stay with me, tonight?" asked Azula, clearly embarrassed.

Sokka seemed quite surprised. It wasn't just the shock at her request, but at the emotion he could see in her eyes, as if she were treasuring him with all her soul, hoping to stay near him at all times because she geniunely wished to be by his side. Maybe she had already changed more than she thought she had...

"Of course I will" he replied, smiling gently; it was the smile she adored, the kindest smile she had ever seen in her life... and she would do everything in her power to make sure it would never ever fade from his face

She found herself smiling gratefully as well, a few tears were still glistening on her eyes, and Sokka leaned down towards her, joining their lips together in a very heart-felt kiss. They embraced each other both physically and emotionally, certain of only one thing: the world would never be as bad as it used to be if they were together.

_This was a very long one, I think, but I guess it turned out alright! Have a belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me, my loyal readers! I'll try to post the next update soon, and I'll let you know we're drawing to a close in this tale, there's probably three or four chapters left, and I'll start a new and exclusive Sokkla instalment! Stay tuned, and I hope you liked this chapter! ^^_


	16. 16: Before the Match

"So... you've been training with Mai and Ty Lee for all this time?" asked Katara, surprised

Aang had decided to explain everything to her during breakfast the next morning, and he did. The couple had headed towards a very elegant restaurant in Gaoling, and luckily, nobody else decided to follow. Even Zuko and Toph had heard what happened only a few hours afterwards, and they knew Katara and Aang needed some quality time alone.

"Yeah... that's all" said Aang "I was keeping it from you guys because... because, in all truth, I was afraid you three would beat me without even breaking a sweat. Even now I think I'm not strong enough to fight you all in even terms"

"Don't be so silly" said Katara, smiling gently "If those two have been teaching you their techniques, then you're bound to be even more powerful than ever before! Actually… now I'm a little scared" admitted the girl

"You're scared?" asked Aang, surprised "Why should you be? You're the best waterbender there is! And you'll be fighting alongside the amazing Fire Lord and the best earthbender ever… How could you be scared? I'm the one who should be trembling in fear!"

Katara giggled and nodded

"Well, if you put it that way, then you're probably right" she said "Still, you don't need to panic so much. I'm sure that even if you don't beat us on this occasion, you'll be able to fight us again later, when you feel more ready to take the test. I mean, it's not like the Arena they've worked so hard to build will just vanish in thin air if you lose or something…"

"Yeah, you're right about that" said Aang, smiling slightly "But I do bet the world will be quite disappointed if I don't fare good on the first try, right?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself" said Katara "I'm sure you'll do brilliantly, even if you don't beat us immediately"

Aang grinned and looked at the girl with loving eyes. She was right, why should he worry? He could make it through somehow; he had always been able to clear all the hurdles in his life.

Katara didn't look back at him; her stare was lost in the horizon as she registered everything Aang had told her, and as she let her thoughts get lost in other issues she still had to solve…

"What's on your mind?" asked Aang, bringing her back to reality brusquely

"Oh, it's nothing…" she said, but, clearly, her mind was full of concerns

Aang stretched his hand over the table and took hers, surprising her

"When do you plan on talking to her?" he asked

"I… I don't know, Aang" said Katara "I don't even know what to say in the first place… It's not as easy as it seems"

"It doesn't seem easy anyways" said Aang, smiling "Just tell her you're sorry about what you did, it's what you'd have to start with if you want this whole mess to be cleared up. You can talk a little more afterwards and understand each other better, I think"

"It's hard to imagine" said Katara "I don't know if she'll take kindly to any apology I give her… but I'll say I'm sorry nonetheless. If things improve between us after that, it'll depend on her too"

"I'm sure it'll turn out fine" he mumbled, intertwining his fingers with hers.

Katara smiled at seeing their hands locked together and she looked at Aang straight in the eyes. If he believed things could improve, then so did she. He wasn't right on everything, but he was the best peacemaker she knew, and on matters of understanding and accepting others, Aang was definitely a master.

…

They were forced to wake up when somebody knocked the door loudly in the morning. Sokka grunted and opened one eye, too drowsy to understand what was happening yet. The one thing that was clear to him was that a beautiful girl with black, long and flowing hair was peacefully asleep on his chest. He smiled a little at the sight, hoping to stay just like this, with his arms wrapped around her...

"Sokka? Are you in here?" asked the Mechanist from outside the room

Sokka was startled by hearing the man's voice, and he realized he had to open the door or else the Mechanist would burst inside without any reservations whatsoever. He let go of Azula, who seemed to wake up as he moved and got off the bed and laid her carefully on the pillows, trying not to startle her, and he headed towards the door, where the Mechanist still knocked repeatedly

"Hey..." said Sokka, opening the door as he rubbed his eyes

"Finally!" said the man, smiling cheerfully at Sokka "I went to see you in your room, but you weren't there!"

"Yeah, I... I wasn't" said Sokka

"I figured you could be here, but I didn't know for certain" muttered the man "I just wasn't sure of how much had your relationship advanced... I guess congratulations are in order!"

"W-what?" said Sokka, surprised "No, no, no... At least, not in that way… yet!"

"No? Let me know when the big day comes, then!" said the Mechanist, smiling

"No offense, sir, but I don't think I will" muttered Sokka, uncomfortable "Why were you looking for me?"

"Oh, to tell you the good news! The uniforms are finished!" he said, smiling

"Really? That's great!" said Sokka, relieved "I was so sure we wouldn't be done by the time of the test!"

"Well, I did stay up all night finishing them!" said the Mechanist proudly.

"Great! Alright, I'll go test them out in a few minutes. Did you leave them at the dressing room?"

"Yes, on the dressing room of the red side" said the Mechanist

"Okay, we'll be checking them out in about half an hour" said Sokka, grinning

The Mechanist nodded and left with a small gesture of farewell. Sokka closed the door and turned towards the bed once again, where Azula was stirring in a very cat-like style. Sokka smiled and sat on the bed once more as she looked at him with half-closed eyes

"The Mechanist came to say the uniforms are ready" he said, caressing her hair gently

"I heard him" said Azula, closing her eyes as she enjoyed his touch "I'm not deaf... you two were loud enough to wake dead people from their eternal sleep..."

"I should have expected that" said Sokka, chuckling "Today's the big day, isn't it?"

"It is..." muttered Azula "All our hard work will pay off today, won't it?"

"Things are going to get a little boring now, though" said Sokka "We won't have any crazy things to plan out anymore..."

"Well, there are other things we could plan out now on" said Azula, stretching and sitting up

"What do you have in mind?" asked Sokka, smiling

"Maybe..." she started, leaning towards him in a very enticing manner "We could hold a strategy tournament and figure out who's the greatest strategic genius in the world!"

Sokka stared at her in complete disappointment, but he couldn't help but grin at the excited look on Azula's face

"Well, we can talk about future plans later anyway"

"What does that mean?" grunted Azula, making him laugh as he pressed his forehead against hers

"Nothing, nothing..." he said, caressing her face "We should go get some breakfast, and we'll go check out the uniforms later"

"Okay" said Azula, but a trace me doubt was clear in her eyes "You'll... you'll make me talk to your sister today, won't you?"

"Actually, that's the plan" said Sokka "You caught me red-handed"

Azula sighed and nodded, to his absolute surprise

"I'll try to do it... I can't promise much, but... I'll try" she said. Sokka smiled even more and held her gently

"Thank you" he muttered, as she surrounded his neck with her arms and smiled right back at him

They kissed passionately, forgetting completely about breakfast, uniforms and Pro-Bending for a moment, lost in each other completely...

...

Ty Lee sighed as she stared at the Pro-Bending Arena, thinking about the battle that would happen in a matter of hours. Both she and Mai were sitting on the stands, lost in their own thoughts, not talking too much.

"What do you think will happen with Azula and Katara?" asked Ty Lee

"If Azula manages to keep her pride in check, as she did when apologizing to me, I'm sure they'll have a chance to get along" said Mai "But I can't say it'll be easy; Katara has hated her ever since she first met her. It'll take more than one apology from Azula for this issue to get solved"

"I guess so…" said Ty Lee, sighing "Well, I guess we won't get to any useful conclusion by talking about this, it's not like it concerns us, so let's talk about something else…"

"Do we have to talk?" asked Mai, as indifferent as usual

"Do you think Aang will win?" asked Ty Lee, staring at Mai with hopeful eyes

Mai raised an eyebrow and shrugged

"How on earth should I know? To tell you the truth, I'm not rooting for anyone here. I just want this crazy test to be done with so that I can go back home and do something useful"

"Like what?" asked Ty Lee, confused

"I don't know. Maybe I'll throw knives around my house. It would make my days brighter" said Mai, smirking slightly

"I hope you don't decide to throw knives on the Royal Palace" said Zuko, walking towards them

Aang, Katara, Toph and Haru also arrived at the scene with him, and they all smiled kindly at the two Fire Nation girls. Ty Lee replied with a grin of her own, and Mai just looked at Zuko, pondering what he had just said

"If you make me angry, I just might" she said, with a very cruel smirk

"Not even Azula has burned down the Palace…" said Zuko

"Hey, you both almost burned it down with your crazy Agni Kai" said Ty Lee

"But we managed to fix it!" he said "All in all, don't toss knives around! It's too dangerous! What if you're throwing knives at the very instant our kid is running by and you end up…?"

Everyone froze at Zuko's sudden declaration; even he seemed surprised at the slip of his tongue, and he blushed madly as what he said downed upon him. Mai stared at him in disbelief, wondering when he had started thinking about having kids… and the rest just seemed completely out of place

"Uh… can we… talk in private for a moment?" muttered Haru at Ty Lee, who seemed too surprised at Zuko's statement to react immediately

"W-what? Talk privately? Oh… Oh! Sure!" she said, jumping up her seat as they walked away from the group.

Haru was unsure about asking the girl by his side the question he wished to pose out for her, she was clearly completely shaken up by what had just happened with Zuko and Mai

"Um… can we talk now?" asked Haru, when he thought they were out of earshot

"Right! Y-yeah!" said Ty Lee, smiling "Sorry I'm distraught… But that's pretty big, you know? Zuko almost asked Mai to have kids with him!"

"I'd say he just… talked too much" said the tall earthbender, smiling a little

"And… on the contrary, you don't talk enough" said Ty Lee, grinning "What do you want to ask, Haru?"

Haru blushed slightly as he tried to find the courage to pose out his question. He wasn't known for his bravery or strength; he only fought the battles he absolutely had to deal with, and in this case, he feared this was a battle he was going to lose. But he knew he had to try nevertheless.

"Would you go out with me?!" he asked, almost yelling.

Ty Lee was shocked at his outburst, but it was a pleasant shock. _Seems like all the guys are letting out what they feel today, aren't they? _She thought, smiling

"W-would you…?" he repeated, completely flushed

"Where… would we go to?" asked Ty Lee, testing him

"I… I haven't really planned it out yet" said Haru, scratching his head "But it's fine if you choose… I mean, I'll have lots of fun, as long as… as long as I'm with you…"

Ty Lee felt the color rising up her cheeks as well, not often did she hear men saying such cute things at her. They would usually resort to telling her how pretty she was, always focusing on her outside, never caring about who she truly was…

"Well… tell me when you want to do it, and I'll be right there" she said, beaming

Haru seemed totally amazed, and he looked at Ty Lee in complete awe

"Really…? Then, does this mean you and I are…?"

"I guess it does" she said, smiling "You're my boyfriend now!" she squealed, hugging him happily, to his surprise and delight

Haru hugged her too, feeling happier than he had ever been. He was sure a girl like her would never be interested in a guy like him… but it seemed like fortune had shined upon him for once.

And his fortune seemed to sicken another earthbender, who was the only one able to tell for certain what was going on with the recently formed couple

"You people are all crazy" said Toph, shaking her head "Why do you all seem so desperate to be together with someone? I mean, even the crazy Spicy Princess wanted someone, and she got it. What's with that? Can't you guys be nice and useful while being alone?"

"Why are you saying that now?" asked Katara, surprised

"Didn't you guys realize Ty Lee and Haru went that way?" asked Toph, pointing at them

"W-we were too busy trying to understand what Zuko said…" said Aang, smiling at his old Firebending master

"H-hey, that's not really what I meant! Y-you're all looking too deeply into this!" he yelled

"You said that I shouldn't toss knives because you don't want me to hurt our non-existing kids…" said Mai "That clearly means you hope to marry me and have children with me… don't you?"

"I…!" said Zuko, nervous "T-that's not really what I…!"

"Wow, these two are hitting it!" said Aang, impressed "We shouldn't lag behind now, should we, Katara?"

"W-what are you implying, Aang?!" she said, embarrassed

"Let's get married!" he yelled

"NOT IN MY WATCH, YOU DON'T!" said a young man from afar, staring at him in disapproval

"Sokka!" said Toph, relieved "Finally, someone who's nice enough not to give me oogies!"

"You're NOT marrying Katara just yet, Aang!" said Sokka, walking towards them from a small tunnel behind the first flight of stands "If you want my sister's hand in marriage, you have to make a handcrafted necklace for her, and you have to ask for the eldest man in the girl's life for permission first!"

"Oh… I guess I'll talk to your dad, then!" said Aang, cheerfully

"A-Aang… I… I'm really flattered" said Katara, completely red "But I think it'll be better if we take this slower than that, okay? I just… don't feel ready for marriage just yet! But I promise you I'll marry you some day, is that okay?"

"Well, that does work for me!" stated Aang, smiling "See, Sifu Hotmen? You didn't leave me behind after all!"

"Would you shut up, Aang?!" yelled Zuko, completely embarrassed

"What's wrong with you guys today?" asked Sokka, confused

"It's nothing, they're all being stupid, as usual" said Toph, shrugging

"Anyways… I need all the combatants to come with me for a minute" said Sokka "Aang, Katara, Zuko, Toph, I'll need you four for a bit"

"Oh, okay" said Aang, and he walked towards his almost-brother-in-law

Zuko looked at Mai before following the others, since Toph and Katara were right behind Aang. Mai just shook her head but smiled a little

"Go, it's fine. We'll talk about this later"

Zuko seemed thankful for this and he smiled at her before running behind the others, walking with them all the way to the dressing rooms, where his sister awaited for them in front of a table, while holding and checking out some strange red garments.

"What's that?" asked Aang, surprised

"Oh, we never did tell you, did we?" said Sokka, walking towards a pile of perfectly arranged clothes "To fight on a Pro-Bending match, you guys have to wear these uniforms! How cool is that, huh?!"

His declaration made them all fall silent for a moment as they tried to take in his words. Naturally, the first one to complain was Toph

"Oh, no. Absolutely not!" she declared "You're not going to make me wear some stupid uniform just for the fun of it! No way!"

"Oh, come on!" said Sokka, taking a blue uniform from the pile of clothes "They're fashionable and nice looking!"

"I think I'll agree with Toph on this one" said Aang "Why do you want us to wear uniforms in the first place?"

"Even after all our exhaustive methods to keep a safe environment on the arena, Sokka seemed convinced that it was still too dangerous, that you needed armors and such to protect yourselves" explained Azula "Personally, I was more inclined to have you face your opponents' bending head-on, but Sokka insisted to keep you all safe and sound. He even designed helmets so that the headshots don't kill you" she said, taking a red helmet and spinning it on one finger

"Should we thank you, or should we side with her for once?" asked Zuko, raising an eyebrow

"Oh, please!" said Sokka "At least look at them! They're comfy, they're armored and the helmets are absolutely amazing!"

"Well, I don't think they're so bad" said Katara, smiling

"Finally!" yelled Sokka "Thank you!"

"But... I really would rather fight in the clothes I'm used to..." said Aang

"Well, in that case I hope you don't complain when Toph breaks your leg when she throws an earth disk at you!" said Sokka, folding his arms

"If you wish to keep the damage to a minimum, take the uniforms" said Azula "If not, I'll enjoy the carnage, that's a given"

Sokka looked at her with worry, wondering if she had forgotten all about their talk of change from the day before...

"Okay, I guess we'll take them..." said Aang, gulping

Azula seemed satisfied, and only then did Sokka understand that she had only been trying to get them use the uniforms he had provided. He smiled at her, and even when she tried to keep emotionless, a small blush showed up on her features and betrayed her feigned calm.

"Great!" said Sokka, beaming "Aang, you'll take the blue one; the rest of you will wear the red ones"

"Oh, come on!" whined Toph "Do I really have to? I'm perfectly fine with letting her Royal Spicyness watch us kill each other!"

"It's three against one on the uniform matter," said Zuko "I'm taking mine too. And the point of the uniforms is for all of us to look the same, right?"

"You're a bunch of weak-kneed benders; all of you" grunted Toph "Well? Where am I supposed to get dressed up?"

"You and Katara can take the room to the left" said Sokka, putting a red uniform on the girl's hands "Aang and Zuko, take the one to the right"

All of them nodded, they took their respective clothes and walked to the rooms Sokka had told them to go to. And, while they dressed up, the young Water Tribe man approached the Fire Nation Princess

"You didn't want to watch any carnage, did you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow

"Of course I did, but... I didn't want to see your work go to waste" she muttered, and he smiled

"You're surprisingly kind in your own way, aren't you?" he said, grinning happily and making her blush even more

"Shut your mouth, peasant..." she growled, making him laugh at her. He knew she only resorted to calling him such names whenever she felt embarrassed over something he'd done or said to her...

"Wow, and I'd thought we were already past the peasant stage" he said, still chuckling

"Oh, that's right, I'd forgotten you're not just a peasant" she said "I hope you can forget my tiny mistake, vermin"

"Vermin?!" he repeated, staring at her in shock. It had been a long time since she had insulted him in this way

"Yes, vermin" she repeated, smirking cruelly as her blush finally vanished

"Nothing's more romantic than calling your lover vermin, huh?" said Zuko, walking back towards them after dressing up in his new clothes

"Oh, you have no idea" said Azula, smirking at him now "You should try it with Mai, I'm sure she'll love it"

Zuko rolled his eyes as Aang reentered the room as well. The blue uniform had been his for a reason: Sokka had told the Mechanist to draw arrows on it, mimicking his tattoos perfectly

"This... is weird" said Aang, smiling uncomfortably

"Nonsense, you look awesome!" said Sokka happily "I knew drawing the arrows would be a great idea!"

Zuko stretched and bended a small fire ball perfectly, making sure the uniform allowed total mobility. Aang imitated him and bended a small puff of air, blowing it at Sokka's face, and shortly after, both Toph and Katara showed up. The earthbender had, naturally, broken the soles of the boots of the uniform, and she was fixing her hat, tucking her hair inside as Aang stared at his beloved girlfriend with doting eyes, completely smitten

"You look beautiful" he told her, and she blushed immediately

"T-thanks…"

"Does she really?" asked Toph, confused "These uniforms don't seem to be the kind of clothes that favor a girl, so you're either crazy, or lying, or blinder than I am"

"Actually, Toph, she ALWAYS looks beautiful" said Aang, standing his ground and embarrassing his girlfriend even more

"D-don't we have more important things to talk about…?" said Katara, doing her best to change the subject

"Indeed" said Azula, staring at Toph "I guess you forgot about the helmets, bandit… because wearing your hat and the helmet wouldn't make much sense to anyone other than you"

"Woah… I have to wear a helmet?!" she said, dropping the hat she was fixing as she staggered in shock, and her messed up hair flew all over the place "NO WAY! What's wrong with you both?! Do you really want to make this whole Pro-Bending thing such an annoyance?! Because I wasn't that much of a fan of it before you told me about this stupid uniforms and the stupid helmets!"

"T-Toph, relax! Calm down!" said Zuko, walking towards her and placing his hands on both her shoulders "It's not going to last for too long! After you've crashed Aang, it'll all be over and done with and you can return to your hat and clothes!"

"HEY! You're not going to crash me!" declared Aang, but both the Fire Lord and the girl in front of him seemed to ignore him

"Well, that's true…" said Toph "But do I really have to put on some stupid helmet? I have too much hair, it won't fit inside!"

"Then maybe you should just cut it" said Azula "It looks like you don't even know what scissors are, do you?"

"Oh, I'll show you the power of scissors…" grunted Toph, but Zuko held her in place

"There are no scissors here, and using them on her wouldn't help you at all, Toph" he said

"I've had my fair share of scissors already…" muttered Azula, remembering a certain occasion in which she had grown sick of her hair and given it quite the trim…

"Who cares if there's no scissors? I'll just bend some out of any metal I find and that's it!" she said

"Excuse me…" said a foreign voice from outside the room

They all turned (except Toph) and saw the Mechanist, smiling at them

"I believe young Toph has some visitors"

Toph frowned and focused on feeling vibrations, and she sensed two familiar people only a couple of rooms away…

"W-who… visitors?" she said, confused "W-why would I have any visitors?"

"Why, I guess because they missed you" said the Mechanist "And who, well, it's your parents!"

Everyone seemed impressed, even Toph couldn't hide her surprise… nor her distrust towards both her parents.

"N-no… There's no way I'm going to see those two" she said, shaking her head

"Toph, they probably came because they wanted to see how you were doing" said Katara

"Well, they can see from the stands!" she shouted "I'm not going out there!"

"Toph…" said Zuko, still holding her shoulders "Don't panic, don't freak out over this. I'll go with you, if you'd like, so that if your parents say anything stupid about punishing you or about bringing you home, I'll answer for you. I'm the Fire Lord, it's not like they could pull any political garbage on me"

"Well, that is true…" she said "Still, I just…"

"Come on" said Zuko, smiling "It'll be fine, you'll see"

Toph sighed, and to everyone's surprise, she nodded slowly. Deep down, she also wished to see her parents one more time. The Mechanist led the two teenagers towards the room where the Beifongs awaited, and the other four stayed behind, all of them hoping that Toph could solve her issues with her family.

But a small idea came into Aang's mind right then and there, when he saw both the Fire Nation Princess and Katara in deep thought. He struck Sokka's ribs with his elbow and gestured at him to leave the room, which Sokka didn't understand clearly at first, but eventually, the message reached him

"Oh, uh… Let's see if there's any meat out there, Aang!" yelled Sokka randomly, taking Aang by the arm

"B-but I don't eat meat, Sokka!" said Aang, automatically replying with his vegetarian instinct

"I'm sure we can find a good eggplant for you!" stated Sokka, as they exited the room "Wait for us here, girls!" he yelled, closing the door after himself

"Did we just… lock up a bomb about to explode…?" asked Aang right after they walked away from the dressing room

"I sure hope we didn't…" muttered Sokka, gulping

A few doors away, Toph sighed just as Zuko opened the gate towards the room, and she walked in with her head down, something she had always done back during her days at the Beifong Estate. She couldn't help but shiver slightly, feeling like a helpless little girl once again…

And she was surprised the very second when she felt two pairs of arms wrapping up around her. In her fear of being disregarded by her parents, she had paid no attention to their exclamations of happiness at seeing her once more, and she hadn't sensed them running at her, with the sole purpose of hugging her closely for the first time in years.

"M-Mom…? Dad?" she said, in shock

"I was so worried!" cried her mother, caressing her messed up hair "I'm so glad you're fine!"

"You've grown into quite the lady, my little Toph!" said her father, crying as well

_I'm sure they would be shocked if they knew how un-ladylike their daughter actually is… _thought Zuko, though he watched them with a smile on his face

"I'm so glad you're home…" said her mother, and that made her pull away for a moment

"W-what? No, I'm not home" said Toph, shaking her head "At least; I'm not here to stay. I only came… b-because they wanted me to help test the Avatar…"

"I… I guess you are" said her father, nodding "We really hoped you could stay for a little while, though… We haven't seen you in years! We're hearing so many rumors about you! About how you even founded a school for metalbending and everything! I'm still in shock about how my little girl managed to bend metal! I was… I was such a fool for believing you were helpless… You're amazing, Toph, and I'm sad to see that it took me so long to realize it!"

Toph seemed completely paralyzed at his words, but a small smile spread on her features, and a few tears glinted in her eyes

"It's… it's okay… you were just trying to protect me, so it's fine…" she said "But don't try to protect me anymore, okay? I have quite the fight today, and I have to beat Aang up to the best of my ability" she said, smiling

"Oh, the Avatar that took you away, huh?" said her father, smiling as well "Yes, you should beat him for kidnapping you the way he did! Go for it, my girl!"

"He… he never kidnapped me, dad" muttered Toph, uncomfortably "I ran away"

"Well, that's what I told him, but he never believed me" said her mother, smiling "Now then, do you plan on facing the Avatar with such crazy hair? Let me fix that for you, will you, dear?"

Toph protested slightly, but her mother forced her to sit on her lap and took a hairbrush from her purse. To be completely honest, Toph did miss being babied by her mother, and feeling her brushing her hair like this was something she appreciated more than she wanted anyone to know. Zuko smiled as he saw her letting her mother win this round, and he turned to her father, who seemed very impressed at his presence in the place

"It's an honor to meet you, Fire Lord Zuko" he said, bowing, and Zuko did the same, still smiling. It seemed like people were prone to change after all…

And inside the dressing room, both girls seemed slightly choked up in such a repressed atmosphere. Azula kept staring at the helmet that Zuko would be using on the fight, wondering if it would fit her head only to try to think about anything else to forget why she felt so tense right now. Katara kept flicking her eyes at her, trying to see if Azula would talk… but why would she? The first one who needed to apologize to get this matter rolling… was her.

"I'm sorry" she muttered, to Azula's surprise. She had almost expected Katara to walk away eventually, but she hadn't thought the girl would actually say those words

"Come again…?" she said, surprised

"I said I was sorry" repeated Katara "And not only because of what happened yesterday. I… I'm always really stubborn, and it's always hard for me to let go of the past, no matter how many times people tell me to forgive and forget, I never can. Even now I still look back in anger when I think of Yon Rha… I had my chance to kill him, and I gave it up because I knew that wouldn't help at all. In your case, I can see you're not the same person you used to be; even if you think I'm still stuck in the past, I'm not really that far behind… I've tried to forget it all, but my own mind betrays me at the worst timings, and I end up becoming that stubborn and hysterical girl again, who just wants to make sure you don't hurt anyone, even if you're not planning on harming anyone anymore…"

Azula stood up from the chair in which she had been sitting for all this while and she folded her arms, deep in thought.

"Don't beat yourself up for this. To tell you the truth, I never have expected you to forgive me, I never expected anyone else to do it, for that matter. I will admit that your brother's forgiveness and acceptance of me was very surprising, and it still amazes me… and since your beloved Avatar is as peace-loving as he is, he always tried to get on my good side. The bandit doesn't care much about forgiveness and such, she'd surely believe that getting in a fight with me would be enough to let out all the anger she feels towards me, if she still feels any. Her witty remarks have been insulting in several occasions, and she knows that very well; she even counts on it, to tell the truth. But I never really thought that any of them would accept me at all; and I never expected you to forgive me, not now, not ever. If you don't, I'll understand it. I've been anything but kind to you, and I don't plan on being gentle towards anyone, not now, not ever… But I do believe I owe you an apology, despite it all"

"Maybe you do" said Katara, shrugging "But… I know you wish to put everything past you, so I'll just take it for granted, if that'll help…"

"No, I'll apologize properly" said Azula, finally looking at her "For all the chases, the death threats, the lightning bolts and fire blasts… I'm sorry. And I do hope I never go down that path again, but I can't promise I won't if you enrage me…"

"Me, enrage you?" asked Katara, smirking in disbelief "I don't think so"

"Still… You said you're never able to let go of the past; to be honest, neither am I" said Azula "Your brother is doing his best to make me leave behind those days, and I'm doing all I can to keep up with him, but I can't forget everything so easily. I'll try to start anew now, though, at least, with you. I'll try to cast away all my memories of being chained and frozen by you, and from now on, all our clashes will be based on our incompatible personalities rather than our messed up history together. Does that sound good to you?"

Katara couldn't help but laugh out loud at that, and Azula found herself smiling slightly as well

"It's true, I can't… I can't even think about promising we won't ever fight again, that would be a total lie!" she said, smiling "But… but we can start over, and we can try to get along a little better… right?"

"Right" said Azula, nodding "It sounds fair, I believe"

Katara held out her hand at Azula, who seemed slightly hesitant at first, but she took it firmly and they consolidated their reborn relationship.

"Nice to meet you once more, Princess" said Katara, grinning

"No need for that" said Azula "I'm just Azula nowadays, thanks to your brother"

"What do you mean?" said Katara, letting go of her hand

"He told me to leave behind who I'd once been, so that I could become someone better, someone without titles and fame and all that I used to have" said Azula "And I'll try to do it, but if it doesn't work out well, I'll revert to my usual self"

Katara grinned and nodded

"You and Sokka… I still wonder how on earth did that happen…"

"Don't worry, I wonder the same thing every day" said Azula, smirking "At first I think: a peasant such as himself, with someone like me… and then I think: A man such as him, with a broken person such as myself… how, you ask? I still don't know"

Katara laughed and nodded, believing their conversation over, but a thought occurred to her before leaving the room

"Um… I was going to go now, but I have one last thing to ask you before I do…" she said, staring at Azula straight in the eye "Why did you do all of this? This test, this… Pro-Bending thing, why did you bother doing it? If you say you wanted to help Aang, I'll believe you, it'd be a perfectly good motive, but I just… I want the truth, if it's not much to ask"

"The truth?" repeated Azula, thoughtful

And she left Katara completely dumbstruck as she gave her an unexpected answer

"The reason behind all of this was a simple one: I was bored"

_And that applies to me too .w. Why, you ask, did I write this fic? Because I was bored! Yay me! (?) xD anyways, this was pretty much the extremely long prelude to the great Pro-Bending battle! You'll get all the action on the next installation and then the epilogue will follow… and that's that! So… wait for it! ^^_


	17. 17: Buckling Up

"I didn't think you were actually going to buy an eggplant for me" said Aang, feeling stuffed after visiting a very nice restaurant with Sokka; they had eaten their lunch there, and naturally, the older boy had taken in every single course of meat until he was completely satisfied.

"Well, you don't eat any meat after all!" said Sokka matter-of-factly as he nibbled a chicken leg; in truth, he would never feel completely satisfied.

Aang was slightly worried when he thought of what might have happened between Azula and Katara; he wanted to trust both of them, but it was harder than it seemed. All he could do was hope that they could work out their issues together...

And all his thoughts vanished from his mind when they turned around the last corner of the city and the Arena came to view... and with it, the huge line of people who were waiting to enter.

"What's this?" asked Aang, surprised "Why are there so many people here?"

"Did I forget to mention there would be an audience?" Sokka asked himself, and them he nodded "Yeah, I think I did"

"W-w-why is there an audience?! You never told me this would be a public test!" yelled Aang, flipping out

"Oh, come on, it's not such a big deal" said Sokka, shaking a hand as to not give any importance to the matter

"How wouldn't it be?!" said Aang, terrified "I'm going to fight against Katara, Zuko and Toph, and that's terrifying enough to add public to the mix!"

"You're thinking too far into this" said Sokka, shaking his head "All these people came because they're curious to see how awesome you are! Or to see your talents again..."

"Again?! There's people I know here?!" squealed Aang "Why?!"

"Well, after leaving you guys to come here and make the Arena, Azula and I decided the stands deserved to be used, so we sent tons of messenger hawks all over the world to the people we know and the biggest towns and cities out there to invite them to watch your test" explained Sokka, grinning innocently

"This... is not good" said Aang, feeling even more nervous than before. He had been perfectly fine before running into such a long line of people who were expecting to see him battle away against his masters...

"Look! It's Aang!" said a familiar voice

Aang turned towards where he'd heard Teo calling him and he approached the teenager on the wheelchair, smiling kindly at him

"Hey there, Teo" he said, shaking his hand

"It's been too long!" said Teo, laughing "How are you? Are you ready for your big battle?"

"Somewhat..." muttered the Avatar, smiling uncomfortably

"You better be!" said a young man next to Teo, smiling at Aang "Or else, Toph will kick your butt!"

Aang would have protested against those words to stand up for himself and his bending... But he couldn't understand how this person knew about him and Toph. He stared at him, trying to figure out if he knew him from somewhere...

"What's the matter?" asked the teenager, staring at him with clear annoyance "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh... well... Do I know you?" asked Aang, scratching his head

The teen seemed to freak out at his question, stomping the floor in anger

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M THE DUKE?!" yelled the teen, raising a fist, enraged

"You're the...?! You're The Duke?!" exclaimed Sokka, in shock

"Oh, come on!" said The Duke, clearly offended "You didn't recognize me either?!"

"You have grown quite a lot, The Duke, don't blame them for this" said Pipsqueak, grinning

"Yeah, you're way taller than you used to be!" said Sokka, patting the teen's shoulder

"I recognized Aang, though" muttered The Duke "And he's way taller than he was before..."

"It is a little hard not to recognize me" said Aang, smiling with some discomfort

"I guess that's your Avatar privilege, isn't it?" said a woman who stood behind Pipsqueak.

Aang would have answered her, but he didn't find any good reply as he stared at her, trying to figure out if he'd ever seen her before. Her brown hair seemed familiar, just as the strange paint on her face… but the slender and strong body was completely foreign to him

"What's the matter?" she said aggressively, staring at Aang with narrow eyes

"I'm just wondering… If I'm supposed to know you too" he said, gulping

"What?!" she squealed, stomping on the floor

"Hey, no need to freak out!" said Sokka, raising his hands as to defend himself and Aang "Aang has met so many people over the years that it's difficult for him to tell them apart!"

"Oh, so you can recognize Pipsqueak, but not me?!" she insisted

"I guess…" said Aang, smiling uncomfortably

"Well, in that case I'll clear up this mystery!" she said, clearly exasperated "I'm Smellerbee! Did you forget me altogether, or by chance there's a small bit of your mind where you still recall the Freedom Fighters?!"

Both Aang and Sokka stared at her in complete shock, looking at her up and down repeatedly

"Y-you're Smellerbee?! YOU'RE SMELLERBEE?!" yelled Aang

"Oh, so you do remember me!" she said, feeling slightly relieved

"How can you be Smellerbee?!" asked Sokka "This makes no sense!"

"Well, it seems like The Duke wasn't the only one who grew up" she said, folding her arms

"Y-you didn't grow up…" said Aang, still looking at her in complete shock "Since when are you a…? How come are you a…?"

"A what, exactly…?" muttered Smellerbee, frowning

"I had no idea you were a girl!" declared Sokka, and Smellerbee seemed to get in an even worse mood than ever before

"Y-you said… y-you said WHAT?!" she asked, cracking her knuckles

"Oh, they said it" muttered The Duke, shaking his head

"Yes, they said it" agreed Pipsqueak, shrugging

"I think this is our cue…" muttered Sokka, gulping at the same time as Aang did "RUUUUUUN!"

Both the Avatar and his future brother-in-law scrammed as quickly as they could as Smellerbee tried to keep her temper in check. Behind her, Longshot patted her on the shoulder, being supportive of her, as usual; thanks to him she managed to keep herself calm enough not to chase the two young men, but she would make sure to punch them in the gut as soon as she saw them one more time.

Aang and Sokka ran past all the people who were waiting in line to enter the Arena. They turned straight inside, passing by the security guards who were keeping all the audience outside the stage with complete ease, and they ran without even looking back until they were in the safety of the dressing room, which was empty, to their surprise

"Huh?" said Aang, surprised "Where are they?"

Neither of the girls was inside, to their surprise. But they had no reason to worry, since Katara had decided to check out how Toph and her parents were faring; Azula had been sitting on the stands with Mai and Ty Lee, and she had even witnessed both Sokka and Aang running crazily as if chased by a demon.

"What were they doing?" she asked, staring at them with slight concern

"Seems like your boyfriend is even crazier than you are" said Mai, smirking

"That's an understatement" said Azula, smiling as well "They threw me into a Mental Hospital, but he could do with a visit too"

Mai chuckled, but Ty Lee didn't seem to pay much mind to their small talk. Azula raised an eyebrow and looked at her; it was clear that the girl was completely lost in thought, and what she thought of was obvious enough for anyone

"You could return to the real world some day, Ty Lee" said Azula "Thinking so much about the same person won't do much good to you, you'll end up obsessed"

"Personal experience speaking?" asked Mai, smirking even more

"Personal experience?" repeated Azula "No, it's my observation skills. You've seen her too, haven't you? Each time she gets smitten over a boy she spends half the day drooling over him, doesn't she?"

"You're right about that, but still… weren't you obsessed with your psycho boyfriend when you started out with him?" asked Mai

"Oh, of course not" said Azula, shaking her head "The obsessive one was him, not me"

"Right…" said Mai, not believing her friend's words

"I'm not just thinking about Haru…" muttered Ty Lee, smiling with discomfort "I'm just trying to figure out with whom I will sit today…"

"What do you mean?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow

"The Kyoshi Warriors are out there, see?" she said, twirling her fingers "And… I think I haven't spent much time with them, and I should probably introduce Haru to them, but I don't want to leave you two…"

Azula and Mai exchanged a look. Truth to be told, they both liked spending time with Ty Lee, but the girl would be obnoxious if she had a boyfriend to brag about and to cling onto during the entire Pro-Bending match…

"No need to worry" said Azula, smirking "You can sit with them, it's fine"

"Yeah, they deserve some quality time with you" said Mai, understanding Azula's trend of thoughts immediately.

"You think so?" asked Ty Lee "You won't be mad if I stay with them?"

"Of course not" said Mai "Who do you take us for?"

"Yes, stay with them" said Azula, nodding "But make sure you sit far away from us. I'm sure your boss still harbors hard feelings against me"

"Who wouldn't?" said Mai "You stole her boyfriend"

"I didn't steal anyone…" muttered Azula, but deep down she actually thought Mai was right on that particular statement.

"In that case, I'll go find good seats now!" said Ty Lee, grinning "See you both later!"

The girl ran off, leaving her friends behind just as the public started entering the Arena. Azula and Mai were seating close to the platform of the referee, where Sokka would stand as he ensured Aang and his opponents played by the rules.

And speaking of Sokka...

"Where... Where are they?" asked Aang again, after scanning the dressing room completely without success

"Beats me" said Sokka "Maybe they decided to go and solve their issues outside!" he figured, smiling

"Why do you seem so happy about it?" asked Aang, raising an eyebrow "If they wanted to solve this outside, it probably means they weren't planning to talk peacefully and they're battling their souls out somewhere..."

"I'm just trying to be optimistic!" said Sokka "Besides, it's my sister and my girlfriend. Even if it's just for my sake they'll try to get along"

"Yeah, you're right about one thing: they're your sister and your girlfriend, and in case you don't remember it, both are stubborn, proud and a little crazy... how can you assume things will go well just because you want them to?"

"I'm not assuming anything... I'm only hoping everything goes well!" said Sokka "Besides, isn't your duty to be all optimistic and happy?"

"That's not my duty..." muttered Aang, staring at his friend with confusion

The door of the dressing room swung open precisely at that moment, and to both their reliefs, Katara, Toph and Zuko entered the room.

"You're back!" said Aang, running to Katara as soon as he saw her

"Yeah, so are you" replied Katara, smiling "How was the… eggplant, was it?"

"It was okay" said Aang, laughing "How… how did it go with…?"

"Much better than I expected!" said Katara, grinning "We said we'd leave everything behind us, although we know it won't be easy for us to get along, but we've decided to forget about our past trifles. I'm sure that's great news for you both, huh?"

Sokka stared at his sister in awe. So they'd managed to leave behind all those conflicts, had they…? He smiled and nodded, cheerful and moved.

"It is… thanks for doing this, Katara" he said

"So sweet" muttered Toph, with a dose of sarcasm in her words "Now all the family gets along! Maybe you two happy couples should have a double wedding or something!"

"Oh, we'll have four weddings at once" said Aang, without looking at her "Mine and Katara's, Sokka and Azula's, Zuko and Mai's and yours and… well, let us know whenever you find a man who's good enough for you, Toph"

"Please…" she said, shaking her head

"What… what happened to your hair, Toph?" asked Aang, as he finally stared at his friend

"W-what…?" she said, blushing "Does it look that bad…?"

"It looks too good, actually" said Sokka, surprised "Who are you and where's our old stinky and messy Toph?!"

"Her hair is amazingly straight!" said Katara, smiling "I would have never imagined it was so manageable… but then again, I think Toph hadn't brushed her hair in about three years or more, so it only makes sense for it to have been as bushy as it was"

"So… how did it get to be so well brushed?" asked Aang, curious

"My… my mother did it…" muttered Toph, embarrassed

"Right! You saw your parents!" said Sokka, walking to the girl "Did everything go well?"

"Y-yeah, it did…" said the earthbender "I guess I'm… I'm on better terms with them now. They said they were proud of me…"

Sokka grinned and embraced her shoulders, congratulating her

"See? You're so cool you even had them change their minds about you!"

"Yeah, I guess so…" said Toph, smiling

They all seemed happy and cheerful right there and then. Aang looked at the group and felt an incredible peace surrounding him…

"It's nice to be like this again, huh?" he said "The Avatar Team, all together once again…"

The rest of the groups smiled too as they exchanged looks.

"Just like the old days, huh?" said Sokka, smiling

"It doesn't happen too often these days, does it?" said Katara, folding her arms

"It's great to be with all of you, guys" said Zuko, also grinning

"Yeah, it's great even when we're going to beat Aang to a pulp in a few minutes" said Toph, smirking and ruining the mood completely

"That's nice…" muttered the Avatar, twitching

"Okay! Time to come back to reality, then!" said Sokka "Listen up guys, you'll probably be on the stage in about half an hour or such, it depends on how quickly the stands get filled…"

"On how quickly the stands get filled?" asked Zuko, surprised

"We're going to have an audience? And you never told us?!" asked Katara, surprised

"What's the matter, Sugar Queen? Afraid of a little public?" asked Toph, smirking

"Of course not!" muttered Katara, proudly

"I think it's better to have people watching" said Toph, grinning "That way we'll be able to kick Twinkle Toes' butt and they'll all admire me even more than they do already!"

"Cool down that self-esteem, Toph" said Sokka, smiling "Anyways, back to what I was saying… I'll be going to the referee's platform in a while; Aang, you have to go all the way to the other side of the Arena, because you'll be fighting on the blue side. There's also a platform over there that will lead you all the way to the center of the stage. The Dark One will move you to the Ring, and Ho Tun will move you three" said Sokka, pointing at Katara, Toph and Zuko "You all have to be ready, helmets on and everything, by the time I start explaining the rules of Pro-Bending for the public to hear, okay?"

"Got it" said Aang, smiling

"Well… good luck, guys" said Sokka, sighing "See you in a bit, okay?"

The others nodded, and Sokka left the room. By the time he was out of the inner halls of the Arena and heading towards his platform, the stands were almost full; people from all over the world had come to witness the astounding test the Avatar would undergo soon. On the western wing of the stands, Ty Lee and Haru had been waiting patiently for the Kyoshi Warriors to arrive as they talked a little, both a little nervous but smiling non-stop. Finally, a group of girls with green robes and yellow armors with fans on their belts approached them, and Ty Lee waved happily at them

"Hey, girls!" she squealed "It's been a while!"

"How have you been, Ty Lee?" asked Suki, smiling at her friend

"I've been great!" said the girl, hugging Suki cheerfully "But I missed you all so much! It's great for us to be together again, finally!"

"Too bad you're not wearing your uniform like us" said one of the warriors, smiling at her

"True" said Ty Lee, smiling uncomfortably "I should have thought about wearing it! But I didn't even know you were coming!"

"It's alright" said Suki, patting her on the shoulder "Uniform or not, you're still one of us"

Ty Lee grinned and hugged Suki one more time, making the other girl laugh at her typical enthusiasm

"Why are you sitting with Haru?" asked Suki, staring at the earthbender with surprise. Haru waved at her innocently, smiling clumsily

"Oh! I wanted to tell you all about this!" said Ty Lee, beaming "See, Haru and I barely knew each other at all, but we bonded a lot and now we're dating!"

"You're WHAT?!" said the girls, amazed

"Way to go, Ty Lee!" said one of them, hugging Ty Lee as congratulations

"Thank you!" she squealed, smiling non-stop as Haru blushed

Suki looked at him and smiled too

"You two seem like a perfectly compatible couple to me… Make sure to take good care of her, Haru"

"I will" he said with determination, his eyes shining brightly to show he looked forward to continue his relationship with Ty Lee

After all the congratulating ended, they all sat down next to each other among the huge crowds. The Kyoshi Warriors weren't too many, but the place was so crowded that they barely even fit in their chosen seats.

"He did all of this, didn't he…?" asked Suki, to Ty Lee's dismay. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors was sitting to her left, and she was staring at the stage with very stern eyes

"N… Not all of it" said Ty Lee "He made most the plans, I guess… but other people made these installations, I think…"

"I see" said Suki, realizing she had made her friend uncomfortable "So? What exactly are we going to watch?"

"Oh, the Pro-Bending thing?" asked Ty Lee, smiling

"Yeah, it'd be good to know" agreed Haru, looking at his girlfriend "I helped out a lot, but I still have no idea of how this whole thing works"

"Neither do we!" said the Kyoshi Warrior sitting the farthest to the left

"Don't worry, I'll explain you all!" said Ty Lee happily "Although I might forget a couple of things, but I'll do it!"

As she readied herself to talk about Pro-Bending, Sokka reached the platform he'd be standing on during the match. He seemed a little nervous, since he'd have to address all these people right now, and he might make a couple of mistakes as he tried to assess the whole fight adequately… but someone at his right caught his eye. Sitting a few meters behind him was Azula, her gaze fixated on him. He waved innocently at her, and to his relief and joy, she smiled a little at him. Only this small gesture seemed enough for him to forget all about his troubles and concerns… she believed he could do this properly, and he surely would, if she was right there to support him through it all.

In the dressing room, the four benders were still waiting patiently, wondering when it would be time for the fight to start. Aang seemed to be completely out of his senses, staring at the ceiling while trying to calm down. Katara sat next to him and took his hand in hers

"Are you okay, Aang?" she asked, smiling

"Oh… yeah, I'm fine" he replied, intertwining their fingers

"Actually, shouldn't you be going to your side of the stage by now?" asked Toph, raising an eyebrow

"Oh… true, I should get going" said Aang, standing up "But first… I'd like to thank you three for everything you've given me over the years"

"You're going to go all sweet and emotional on us now?" asked Toph, grimacing

"Yes, I am" said Aang, smiling "You three are the greatest masters I could have asked for! No matter what today's outcome is, I'm proud to have been your student, and I'm even prouder of being your friend"

"The same goes to you, Aang" said Zuko, smiling

"Oh, you're not going to get me into the vortex of happy and lovely feelings, Twinkle Toes" said Toph, folding her arms

"Come on, Toph! Say what you feel for once!" said Katara, but the earthbender shook her head

"No way!" she insisted, just as a well known voice to them started to resound through the Arena thanks to the speakers that were installed all over the place

"Is that… Sokka?" asked Zuko, raising an eyebrow

"Oh, drat. I've gotta go!" yelled Aang, taking his helmet and running towards his side of the stage

Katara watched him run at first, but then she realized she hadn't said anything to him at all… and she sprinted after him just as Zuko and Toph put on their helmets

"Aang! Wait!" called Katara, to the Avatar's surprise. He stopped on his footsteps and turned towards her, looking a little anxious

"Something the matter, Katara?" he asked "I really should hurry, Sokka will be really mad if I'm not at the platform once he's done talking…"

"I just… I just wanted to say good luck" she said, smiling after panting a little.

Aang smiled at her endearingly and held her close one last time before they went out to battle against each other. They kissed passionately as they cherished the moment as much as they could, enjoying the other's closeness for as long as possible…

_Oh, yeah… I said this one would be the last and then would come the epilogue, right? .w. I LIED! Sorry xD I didn't mean to! But this one would have spanned out for waaay too long, so I had to cut it in two! Don't worry; the great battle WILL come on the next update! And then the epilogue! And they'll all live happily afterwards ^^ so yeah, wait for it! o_


	18. 18: The Match

Ty Lee didn't appreciate it much when Sokka suddenly began talking, cutting her across her grand explanation to her friends about what Pro-Bending was.

"Welcome, all, to the Avatar's Pro-Bending Match!" said Sokka, through a microphone, courtesy of the Mechanist, as usual "You've all traveled from afar to witness his powers and his strength as a bender, and you're about to see it firsthand! To prove his mastery of all four elements, we've devised a test where the Avatar will have to use his skills as a bender while battling out against three masters of water, earth and fire! Of course, I will now proceed to explain the rules so that you understand the test properly!"

"Hey! I was explaining them over here!" protested Ty Lee, making Haru laugh

"Calm down, it's not like he knew you were saying anything in the first place, right?"

"W-well…" she muttered, a little annoyed nevertheless

Suki didn't enjoy much listening to her ex-boyfriend's voice, but she did all she could to keep her feelings in check. They had grown distant after their break-up, but they had tried their best to stay friendly… still, her feelings for him weren't completely gone; as far as she knew, they never would be, but he'd made his choice and she had accepted it, there was no point mourning it over anymore… So she did the best she could to stay calm despite the mixture of sentiments within her very soul.

Aang was possibly feeling as anxious as she was. He'd managed to use the air scooter to take him all the way to the blue side, where the Dark One awaited with his usual stern stance. Aang would have tried to start a conversation with him, but it didn't seem appropriate at the moment; he was more nervous than ever before, he had to calm down somehow… and of course he could do it! He sat with his legs crossed and began meditating, to the Dark One's surprise. He merely watched the thoughtful Avatar as he half-heard Sokka's long explanation of Pro-Bending…

And Aang missed out on the entire speech as he allowed his conscience to drift around peacefully… until the Dark One shook him up and woke him from his meditation cycle.

"It is time, Avatar" he said, pointing at the platform

Aang gulped and took a deep breath. He put the helmet on and walked on the platform with the Dark One, and the gloomy man moved the lever using metalbending as Ho Tun did the same on the opposite side of the Arena, bringing Katara, Toph and Zuko to the ring.

"Here you have your contestants!" yelled Sokka, as the platforms finally made it to the center of the stage.

Aang walked towards the center of the ring after waving at the public, which seemed to be freaking out if one were to judge by the screams and unceasing clapping he could hear. On the other side, Katara seemed to feel a little shy at the cheers; Zuko, used to being admired, smiled and waved just as Aang did. Toph didn't seem to care at all if people were happy to see her or not; she was busy making sure she could feel every vibration perfectly despite the uniform and the helmet. To her relief, it seemed like neither item would cause trouble for her and her bending, so she just grinned as she followed Zuko and Katara to the central circle of the stage.

"On the Blue Team" said Sokka "You have the greatest bender of all four elements there's ever been! Mr. I-beat-the-old-Fire-Lord-thanks-to-a-giant-Lion-Turtle, give your cheers for Avatar Aang!"

The crowd seemed to go crazy as Aang smiled uncomfortably. Monks had taught him not to seek fame and recognition, but even when he hadn't looked for it, it was right here. He only wished not to disappoint all of these people…

"On the Red Team we've got three master benders, the best there are!" said Sokka "From the Southern Water Tribe, the most brilliant waterbender that has been seen since Avatar Kuruk, my own little sister, Katara!"

More cheers caused her to blush and nod in appreciation. She knew Sokka loved her, but she had no idea he had her in such high esteem.

"Also on the Red Team we've got the amazing Fire Lord Zuko!" he yelled "Powerful enough to redirect lightning…"

"But not to create it" muttered Azula with a small smirk from her seat, and Mai rolled her eyes

"… he's one of a kind!" continued Sokka "The man all the fangirls were waiting for, he'll amaze us all with his incredible talent as a firebender!"

Again the crowd seemed to go crazy, and in fact, several fangirls squealed to cheer for the amazing Fire Lord, to Mai's annoyance.

"Something the matter?" asked Azula, who hadn't even bothered to clap once

"It's nothing…." said Mai, more grumpy than usual

"And the last member of the Red Team is a girl who was born and raised on this very town!" said Sokka "She invented metalbending, she even made an Academy and she fought on this very same place a few years ago! Well, it was very different then, but anyways… give a cheer for your Blind Bandit, Toph Beifong!"

Once again the stands roared in excitement and Toph raised an arm in a gesture of triumph. She could hear her parents screaming in her support from afar, and she smiled a little before getting completely focused. The other girl on the stage wasn't particularly focused, though. As The Dark One and Ho Tun moved the platforms back to their original position, Katara frowned while thinking of why was she the only one here without a title. Aang was the Avatar, Zuko was Fire Lord, Toph was a Beifong… and she was just Katara? Why?!

"Time to get this fight started!" yelled Sokka, bringing his sister back to her senses "You're all ready, contestants?"

Toph cracked her knuckles and neck, looking as tough as ever. Zuko nodded towards Sokka, and Katara struck her best waterbending stance. Aang took a deep breath and let it out… and looked up to his friends after raising his arms and separating his legs, in one of the defensive forms he'd learnt over the years.

Sokka took all their positions and attitudes as a confirmation to his words, and he took the microphone as he yelled

"Three! Two! One! GO!"

Aang had expected to be allowed at least a second to register what was happening, but Sokka hadn't even finished his last word by the moment an array of earth disks flew straight towards his belly.

Toph was really busy punching the air, which made her bend the disks at full speed towards her target; Aang wasn't going to be as lucky as he hoped. He managed to deflect the first three disks, but the next one struck him on the side and knocked him to the floor just as Zuko kicked on his direction and an impressive fire blast flew at him. Aang only managed to raise a little water from the crate he'd collapsed on top of, and the small amount was only sufficient to turn the fire to smoke. Naturally, Katara didn't feel like helping to defeat her beloved Aang, but it was her duty to fight him too… So she sent quite a potent water stream at Aang just as he was trying to stand up, knocking him back down as Zuko tried to strike him again.

Aang rolled over to one side of the stage, near where Katara was standing. Maybe he did it because he wanted to get away from dangerous Toph, who was still trying to knock everything out of him with her earth disks, or maybe because Katara's bending attacks weren't as strong as the others, probably due to her feelings for him… and he was dead wrong.

With a punch packed with all the force of her waterbending, Katara struck Aang with so much power he ended up falling and rolling all the way to Zone 2 while still trying to register what had just happened…

"Red Team, advance to the First Blue Zone!" said Sokka on the microphone, and the three combatants obeyed at once.

And Toph didn't just obey, she ran and lifted as many earth disks as she could and threw them straight at Aang's legs, trying to knock him to the floor again right after he'd finally gotten up. Aang jumped and wished he could have resorted to airbending then; to make matters worse, just as he was moving upwards, Zuko attacked him with an assortment of speedy fire bending moves, all so quick and strong that he nearly knocked Aang off the ring instantly. The Avatar was very close to tripping and falling down the ring into the water that awaited him below the stage, but he regained his balance before they could attack him again

"Red Team, advance to the Second Blue Zone!" said Sokka. It was clear he hadn't expected Aang to get diminished so easily by the other three…

"Come on, Aang…" muttered Ty Lee, clasping her hands together as in prayer

The airbender seemed completely cornered. No matter which way he turned, his opponents were waiting for him with a fully packed bending attack to knock him off the ring. Oh, if he only had his airbending…

His airbending? His airbending!

Airbending didn't only comprise of casting air, but of moving and evading with swiftness and light feet! As long as he avoided all the attacks, he'd find an opening eventually! And he'd finally put to the test all the skills he'd learnt from Mai and Ty Lee…

His reasoning came to him in a matter of seconds, but it wasn't quick enough. Toph seemed to have resolved to make Aang fall off the ring as quickly as possible, and she started sending disks at his shoulders, his stomach and legs all s quickly as possible. To everyone's amazement, though, Aang jumped and moved with amazing flexibility, bending his body perfectly to avoid each disk. Toph frowned after his jump. She was sure she'd knock him off, but he was dancing around with his light feet, as usual… Well, the others could help her when he got his feet off the ground, couldn't they?

Zuko seemed to understand her feelings clearly and he threw a punch of fire straight at the spot where Aang was bound to land, trying to render it impossible for the Avatar to stand on it, but Katara happened to think in the exact same idea… and the fire Zuko had thrown became steam as Katara's water crashed against it

"W-what?!" said Zuko, staring at the white gas in dismay

"Sorry!" squealed Katara, but the mistake had been made…

And Aang was going to do the best he could out of it. He landed perfectly and Toph threw more earth disks at him, but he ducked and avoided the first one just in perfect timing to bring out quickly a stream of water which he bent straight at the center of her chest, since he'd learnt it was a great spot to force your rival to fall back, and he forced her back indeed.

"Dammit!" yelled Toph, tripping and falling on her butt "You're going to get it, Twinkle Toes!"

Her roar of rage seemed to humor the crowd, but just as she was standing up she tried to approach Aang again and someone called out on her

"Stop right there, Toph!" yelled Sokka "You were tossed all the way to Zone One! You have to stay there for now!"

"WHAT?!" she screamed, incredibly annoyed "THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

Meanwhile, Aang looked at Zuko and Katara, who didn't seem to be in synch at all after their small mistake just now. Zuko decided to take the wheel and he began attacking Aang repeatedly, but the Avatar continued with his routine of avoiding blows skillfully. Katara seemed a little scared of ruining Zuko's bending again, but she decided to just attack one of Aang's sides to make sure she wouldn't cause any trouble again. Aang smirked after predicting her move and he jumped to the left to avoid the fire and the water. He ended up near her again, but he was clearly ready for whatever blow she wished to strike him with. His position was very favorable, since he had put Zuko between him and Toph, who was still arguing with Sokka

"YOU AND YOUR STINKY RULES! COME HERE AND SETTLE THIS FACE TO FACE, YOU BOOMERANG MORON!" she yelled, to Sokka's dismay

"Toph! Get back to fighting!" he told her, but she wouldn't budge

"One would expect you to be the only one who gets to yell at him nowadays…" said Mai, impressed

"What else were you expecting from the Bandit?" said Azula, smirking "And there's no way I'd be the only one yelling at him when he's that clumsy and silly all the time…"

Aang was surprised to realize that Toph wasn't paying attention to the fight at all, but that played perfectly well into his hand. He smiled as he brought upwards a couple of earth disks to protect himself from Zuko's fire and Katara's water, which crashed on the same points, becoming steam several times again, to both their frustrations

Aang smirked happily… until an earth disk flew at him from above both Zuko and Katara and broke his improvised shield immediately, to Aang's dismay. It seemed like Toph was done talking to Sokka now.

The battle became even rougher than before, but to Aang's relief there was some good amount of distance between him and his most dangerous rival, who kept tossing earth disks repeatedly, but he would avoid them at the perfect timing. He spun around while he also evaded the fire and water strikes from Zuko and Katara, who seemed determined to attack him on the sides, forcing him to fall back even further than before…

Katara used sharp water to cut through another disk Aang was using as shield, and she managed to break it into several pieces just as Zuko kicked at Aang and a fire ball flew towards him. Aang gritted his teeth, thinking he wouldn't be able to bend either water or earth quickly enough to avoid the direct hit, and he raised his arms instinctively…

And an idea struck him all of sudden. He twirled his hands around the fire that was coming straight at him and he sent the fire blast straight back at Zuko, who still hadn't regained a proper stance…

The Fire Lord fell backwards and Aang quickly sent an earth disk straight at his chest, finishing the job and forcing him into Zone One once again

"Was that even legal?" asked Azula, surprised

Sokka seemed really amazed by the idea of using your enemies' bending against him, but in truth there had been no rules designed to oppose this kind of fighting style, so…

"Zuko, you're now on Zone One!" he said, to Zuko's annoyance

"Perfect…" he muttered, standing up

"Welcome to my world" grunted Toph, as she sent another earth disk at Aang now that Zuko was out of the way

Aang avoided the disk and the quick water whip Katara tried to strike him with. He snuck a look at her, wondering how he should strike her without hurting her badly… until she struck him in the stomach with a full water blow right after distracting him with another water attack. He coughed, leaped forward and kicked at her with fire, making her fall back a couple of steps as he punched another one of Toph's disks. One of Zuko's flames tried to reach him, but he turned it to steam with ease and bent a disk at Katara before she could strike back, making her crash against the side of the ring. With a water blast to her back he forced her to jump forward and a fire blast made her fall on Zone One, to all the Red Team's dismay.

"Katara, you're on Zone One!" said Sokka "Avatar Aang, advance to Zone Two!"

Aang smiled and obeyed Sokka, but he knew things were going to become even more difficult now. Zuko was the first one to strike with a brutal fire punch, incredibly potent to be a one-second long blast.

"And they were complaining about one-second being too few…" muttered Sokka, gulping

Aang avoided it and brought forth a water ball, from which he began shooting water darts at full speed at all his opponents, to their dismay.

"I-is this even allowed?!" asked Katara, creating a small water shield to avoid being hit by Aang's incredibly dangerous water

Zuko wasn't so lucky. The first blow of the darts struck him on his leg and gave him quite the familiar feeling of being chi-blocked by Ty Lee when she was barely even learning the technique. He lost his stance and Aang continued attacking constantly, to his dismay. Toph used earth disks to defend herself until she felt she'd had enough and she tossed them all at Aang at full speed just as his water supply ended. The Avatar jumped and avoided the disks, knowing that he couldn't try what he'd done with Zuko to redirect the blows from earth disks since Toph's strength was brutal and he'd have a hard time trying to control whatever she tossed at him. But he had to continue, he had to find a way… and then he realized they were attacking him at once, so why shouldn't he do the same?

In his left hand, a fistful of fire. In his right one, an earth disk. With his foot, a water stream. He sent the fire at Zuko, blowing him backwards after surprising him with such a blow; the water he sent at Katara, breaking through her shield with ease and striking her on the chest, pushing her back; the earth disk spun incredibly quickly and struck Toph on the stomach, making her fly back.

"Red Team, you're now in the First Red Zone!" said Sokka "Avatar Aang, you may continue on to Zone One!"

Now they were even again. Aang grinned as his rivals regained their composures to face him; clearly, nobody wanted to relinquish victory, they'd claw all the way to earn it in whichever way possible.

Toph seemed to be sick and tired of this game already. She brought up an amazing sequence of disks, two at once, and sent them all at Aang, who used an earth disk to shield himself at first, but he became completely vulnerable to the fire attack Zuko wanted to toss at him. Aang moved both his hands down and executed two quick fire blasts and propelled himself upwards, to everyone's surprise

"He's airbending… without air…" said Azula, in actual awe. Up until now, Aang's moves had seemed resourceful, but nothing actually impressive. But her mind had just been blown with his technique to fly, a technique she had used some time ago as well, a technique only powerful firebenders resorted to…

"He's definitely something, isn't he?" said Haru, also impressed

"Way to go, Aang!" yelled Ty Lee happily

"Why are you rooting for him so much?" asked Suki, suspecting the girl next to her. Aang's moves had seemed unusual but familiar to her, his blows too precise in comparison with the Avatar's style… but now she had put together the pieces of the puzzle and everything started to make sense to her…

"Oh, uh…" said Ty Lee, nervously "Y-you see, I…"

"You taught him a lot of your moves, didn't you?" asked Suki, smiling "And so did Mai; that technique with the water was very similar to her stilettos"

"You're really sharp, aren't you?" said Ty Lee, smiling with a small twinge of guilt

"I do my best" said Suki, laughing as she focused on the battle again.

Aang had resorted to apply fire as a propeller; he kept firing repeatedly as he moved at full speed through Zone One, confusing Toph completely. The greatest earthbender tricked by a silly parade of fire… she felt embarrassed and annoyed. She only wished that whenever Twinkle Toes decided to stop being the elusive moron he always was, he'd walk again and his Zone would so hot after all that fire that he wouldn't be able to stand properly at all.

Zuko blasted more and more fire at him, but it was practically useless. Aang kicked at every single one of his blows, turning his fire to ashes in a matter of seconds by using his own bending to diminish his rival's flames. But that's when the remaining member of the Red Team struck, just when Aang wasn't expecting her water strike at all.

A water whip hit Aang on the right hand just as he was about to propel himself upwards once more, and another water blow hit him at the perfect timing to send him flying all the way back to Zone Two and almost to Zone Three.

Zuko was impressed and looked at Katara with surprise. The girl seemed determined to fight to the best of her ability, even if it was against the love of her life.

"Good one there, Sugar Queen!" yelled Toph happily; now she could sense Aang again.

After Sokka's command, the Red Team advanced again just as the Avatar got up once more, even more serious than before. Just as he thought he'd have an advantage, he lost it immediately… fighting three on one was no easy job at all. But he was the Avatar; he could handle using three elements at once. He'd done it before, he'd do it again… he just needed to devise a strategy to make this test slightly easier on him… and of course, that meant he had to knock someone off the ring, be it whichever one of his rivals…

A fire punch brought him back to reality, and he deflected it just as he'd been doing it for all this time. Zuko's strikes were powerful, but he could handle them… and in truth, most of the Fire Lord's attacks were merely deceitful so that either girl could surprise him with water or earth.

In conclusion, Zuko was going down.

Aang sent a water blast straight at Zuko right after he'd packed a full blow of fire to throw at Aang. When Zuko's fire blast reached Aang, the Avatar twirled it around his body and sent it back at the precise moment the water got Zuko in the head, shaking him up. The fire got him on the chest and pushed him back just as Aang lifted several earth disks and sent them one after the other directly at his opponent's stomach… and Zuko was sent all the way to the Second Red Zone before he even knew it, rolling all the way through the two First Zones.

Katara seemed impressed at Aang's fearsome powers, but she didn't relent. In complete synch with Toph, she brought up quickly a water stream and sent it at Aang's legs as Toph attempted to strike him with earth disks on the chest. Aang resorted to the propelling once again, jumping upwards while producing fire with his feet. The fire vanished the second the water touched it, and the earth disks made the rest of the fire pillar disappear, but Aang was relying on this to shoot more fire at both his rivals from above. Katara managed to diminish the fire, but Toph wasn't so lucky. She felt the heat approaching her, and she jumped backwards, but it was too late. The fire blow got her on the chest and threw her backwards, to the First Red Zone.

Katara hadn't even regained her stance before getting struck by Aang's recently bended earth disks. She tried to stop them with water, but they were too heavy to be diminished only by a small water strike… and she ended up rolling all the way to the First Red Zone with Toph

"Avatar Aang, you may advance to the First Blue Zone!" yelled Sokka

Aang grinned and obeyed him at once, packing his fists with fire at once. Katara thought he'd be going after her, but just as she created a water barrier, Aang showed his movement was merely a faint attack and shot his fire at Zuko, who was getting ready to kick an array of fire all the way to the First Blue Zone. He had been standing on one foot when he tried to discharge his fire at his opponent, and it was the perfect chance for Aang. The two fire blows he'd created struck Zuko on the leg he was supporting his weight with, and the impact knocked him to the floor, but before he could even register what was happening, Aang brought two more earth disks and struck him on the chest, throwing Zuko backwards onto Zone Three

"He's going after Zuko!" realized Toph, gritting her teeth as she attempted to defend her ally with a brutal discharge of earth disks straight at Aang's shoulders

Aang used his flexibility once more to avoid her strikes, and he brought forth a water stream, with which he repeated his previous feat of using it to provide small but powerful water darts, which he sent at Toph at once. The girl barely had any time to react, the water hit her on all the precise spots to render her helpless, combining the style Ty Lee had taught him with Mai's knives and his own bending. He had no idea of when had he figured out this was the way to apply their teachings, but he was glad he'd found a way to translate their fighting style into his bending.

Katara sent a blast at him, trying to defend Toph, but to her dismay, Aang merely used the water she provided to join it with his own water, regaining a great amount of ammunition thanks to his girlfriend, horrifying Katara. Now he had even more power to keep Toph in check!

Zuko sent a powerful fire blow all the way from Zone Three, and he saved Toph by evaporating the water Aang had been using. Aang rolled to the left and sent earth disks at Toph before she could even recover from all the water blows; she rebounded against the side of the ring and she fell back to Zone Two.

"Dammit… and by earth disks too…" she complained, incredibly annoyed

Katara struck Aang's stomach with a strong and quick water blast, making him falter and step back really close to the grate that could cause him to end up in Zone Two yet again. He threw fire blasts back to fuel himself forward before Katara could strike him once more, and he used more fire to attack her. She defended herself with water, creating a steam barrier that blurred her eyesight slightly… but not Aang's. He'd learned to listen from Toph, and he'd use the skills he'd been taught from her right away, without thinking about it twice.

Hoping not to hurt her, he threw a water strike at her and blasted her all the way to Zone Two just as Toph sent another sequence of disks at Aang; this time he hadn't seen them coming and he found himself completely out of ways to defend. The disks struck him on the shoulder, but thankfully the light armor on the uniform kept him as safe as it could. Still, he fell to the floor just as Sokka said

"Avatar Aang, advance to the First Red Zone!"

He'd done it! Finally, he had an advantage! He got up with difficulty and walked into Zone One, but Toph wasn't going to let him recover at all. She struck him with several more disks, and Aang could only use fire to break them to defend himself somehow. Katara took the chance to send a water blow at his back, and Zuko kicked a flurry of fire attacks straight at Aang's gut.

All the attacks at once made Aang wish he could airbend… but he resorted to something else. He created fire with his foot and kicked, making Katara's water become steam yet again, and he tossed an earth disk with his free hand straight at Zuko, with so much strength that it managed to break through the fire barrier and hit him on the chest. Zuko fell back to the edge of the ring, to his dismay, and he jumped back to the center of Zone Three, trying to stay as far as he could from the pool down below.

Toph didn't stop tossing earth disks, but Aang decided to free himself from her irritating and non-stop attacks by flinging a water strike at her from below, hitting her on the head and forcing her to lose balance. Katara attacked Aang to stop him from his assault at Toph, but he sent an earth disk at her and knocked her onto Zone Three, where she almost crashed against Zuko, who caught her in midair and put her right next to himself once the potency of Aang's strike had stopped exerting its effect on her.

"Sorry!" she said, but Zuko shook his head

"Don't mention it, just attack!" he said, firing a fire blast at Aang.

The Avatar had tried to go after Toph, but it was only a small faint. He took Zuko's fire in one hand and tossed it back at him, adding an earth disk right after the fire. Zuko attempted to control his fire once more, but he had to use it to wreck the disk Aang had tossed at him. Aang brought forth a water stream then, and struck Zuko on the head, making him lose balance. With one more fire strike, Aang finally forced Zuko off the ring.

Zuko fell loudly into the water, and he swum towards the shore as quickly as he could. He hadn't really heard any explanation as to what to do if you fell, but he was too tired after bending so much and being smacked by Aang that he couldn't even think straight. He got out of the water and onto a small earthy surface, and he let himself rest on it, slightly disappointed with himself after being the first one off the ring…

But the battle wasn't over at all. Aang had only knocked Zuko off, but the other two were still quite the menace. Katara bended a water blast straight at Aang's head, Toph sent disks at his feet and knocked him to the floor before he could even think. The water Katara had sent at him made the floor slippery, and he almost fell again while he tried to regain his stance. He propelled himself upwards with fire again to dry the floor, but his move wasn't unpredictable at all. Toph tossed earth at his feet again, hitting him hard on the toes, and Katara turned the fire to steam. Aang plummeted down and stopped his fall by making some fire with his hands. He flip-flopped and stood up once more to send earth disks at Toph, trying to distract her, but it was useless. Katara hit him with water again, nearly tossing him back to the First Blue Zone; Aang hardly could keep his stance anymore. To his horror and sadness, he knew who he had to knock off the ring now if he were to win this battle.

He jumped and spun in the air, creating a fire circle with both his hands, and he sent the two blasts straight at Katara, who used water to force the fire to disappear… but Aang tossed three disks at her just as she was busy battling with the fire. The first disk got her on the shoulder; she avoided the second one, but the third one got her square on the stomach, and she ended up plummeting down the ring. She managed to get off the water way quicker than Zuko did, and she joined him on the small earthy mound there was below

"You're down too, huh?" said Zuko, smiling at her

"Sorry about my mistakes" she said, a little nervous "We could have beaten him when we had him in Zone Three… but I messed up"

"We both did" said Zuko, shrugging "Don't worry about it. Besides… Aang really should pass his test, shouldn't he?"

Katara nodded and they both stared at the ring in expectation. It was all up to Toph now.

The greatest earthbender in the world was still in Zone Two, tossing as many earth disks as she could at Aang. But, as usual, his quick feet were getting him out of trouble repeatedly as he avoided her strikes skillfully. Toph grew impatient, knowing that waiting to strike now would be completely pointless; Aang had three elements to fight with, she only had one. The airbender made sure none of Toph's attacks hit him, and once she had a small opening, he pulled up a water stream, striking her on the head with it as he avoided more of the earth disks she'd bent at thim. Toph fell back to Zone Three to her alarm, and she bended another flurry of earth disks at him, hitting him on the shoulder for once and making him lose control just for a second.

Aang frowned as he tried to organize his thoughts and ideas. He'd get at Toph somehow, he had to… but his shoulder had received so many blows already that he was unsure if he'd be able to bend to the best of his ability. He took a deep breath and kept being light on his feet as he ducked and jumped, evading her disks until he finally had a game plan.

He surrounded his left arm with water quickly, and the right one was engulfed in fire. He ran at Toph, finally entering Zone Two and bringing up an earth disk with a flying kick. Aang struck the punch of fire at her, making her crash again against the side of the ring, then an earth disk to force her to the edge, and with an impressive water stream, he struck Toph on the head again and knocked her off the ring.

She fell down with a splash, and Katara dove into the water at once, helping her up as quickly as she could

"G-good thing you remembered I can't swim…" muttered Toph, clinging onto the waterbender as she moved back to where Zuko awaited.

Aang panted, the helmet's glass got fogged up by his breath. He'd done it… He'd actually done it! A roar of cheer from the crowd amazed him; he'd even forgotten there was public at all! He waved at them happily and made an airscooter as he celebrated his win happily, cleaning up the stage without even knowing it.

"He did it, huh?" said Katara, as the three of them got aboard a small elevator and moved upwards towards the dressing room again. They had perfect sight of Aang's celebration, and both she and Zuko smiled

"What's he doing?" asked Toph, annoyed "Is he celebrating?! IS HE?!"

"Calm down, Toph" said Katara, patting her on the shoulders "It was a good fight, even if we lost"

"That prick has beaten me twice on this Arena" growled Toph "I'll get back at him some day…"

"YEAH! YOU DID IT, AANG!" yelled Ty Lee from the stands, rendering Haru and the Kyoshi Warriors deaf due to her screams

"I can't believe he really had it in him" said Azula, impressed

"You're telling me you never thought he'd win…?" asked Mai, staring at her in mild disbelief

"To be honest… No, I didn't" admitted Azula, smirking

Mai couldn't do anything but roll her eyes and giggle a little. Truth to be told, her friend hadn't changed that much at all

"After an impressive comeback and almost flawless performance, THE AVATAR IS THE WINNER!" yelled Sokka, completely thrilled. He'd never expected Aang to defeat his opponents after such a rough start.

"Yeah!" yelled Aang, still spinning around on his air scooter as the crowd kept cheering for him.

After a couple of hours of hearing people congratulating him and cheering for him, Aang finally made it to the Red Team's dressing room, and Katara greeted him with a hug

"You were amazing! I said you could do it, didn't I?" she said, smiling at him

"I'm going to get back at you some day, Twinkle Toes…" grunted Toph, to Aang's amusement

"You fought well, Aang" said Zuko, smiling and nodding towards him "You're definitely a master of the elements"

"Yeah, that's right!" squealed Sokka, bursting into the room and surrounding Aang's shoulders with an arm "You're the man, Aang! You're the best!"

"I'll admit you even impressed me" said Azula, entering the room behind Sokka, and with her, came in Mai and Ty Lee

"I impressed YOU?!" asked Aang, surprised "Now, that's new…"

"You did it, Aang! You did it!" squealed Ty Lee, hugging him, to Katara's slight discomfort

"Well played, Aang" said Mai, also smiling at him "You too, Zuko"

Zuko had seemed a little irked at seeing his girlfriend congratulating someone else, but he smiled at her and shrugged

"I lost, though"

"That's why Aang deserves more recognition" said Mai, smirking

The entire room became a mess after that statement, since Toph decided to declare that he was the Avatar and that he had more weapons and possibilities to bend than the rest of them. Mai didn't agree, Ty Lee backed off Aang after seeing the way Katara was staring at her, and Zuko just shrugged and hoped the mess would unfold quickly…

"We did it, huh?" said Sokka to Azula "We proved Aang's a master! How cool is that?"

"It is quite remarkable" said Azula, with a small sigh

"What's the matter?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow

"It's just… with all the effort it took to make this, it feels like a waste after the entire test is done…"

"A waste? Why would it be a waste?"

"Who will fight Pro-Bending from now on?" asked Azula, staring at him "We took so much time to plan everything and now… who's going to use what we bothered making?"

"We'll… we'll find a way, I'm sure…" muttered Sokka, folding his arms as he tried to find a good answer to Azula's questions.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" they heard behind them. Both Azula and Sokka turned around to see a tan man, bald and fat, holding the hand of a boy who could only be his son.

"Can we help you?" asked Sokka, surprised

"Were you two the ones who came up with this BRILLIANT Pro-Bending idea?!" he asked, staring at them in awe

"Indeed" said Azula, slightly repulsed by the man "What of it?"

"You have NO idea of what you've created!" he said, making crazy and emotional gestures

"D-dad, would you calm down?" asked the kid, slightly embarrassed

"Oh, Butakha, just let daddy do his job, okay?" he said, patting his kid on the head

Azula raised an eyebrow and looked at the man.

"His job? What job are you talking about?"

"I'm a businessman, looking for great business!" he said, smiling "And this, my friends, is the perfect business indeed! Listen, instead of having the Avatar in one team and three benders on the other, you could have two teams with three benders! You could hold three short rounds, of three minutes, maybe, and you could have the greatest benders battle out to the best of their ability! In fact, this could even become a tournament! What do you say?"

Sokka was completely swayed by the man's ideas, and he nodded immediately, but Azula stopped him from accepting everything so easily

"So you wish to export our creation to the world, is that right? You intend to make a great tournament and have benders everywhere fighting for a slot in the championship… Sounds very enticing and convenient, but what's in for us?"

"Oh, no need to worry! You'd take all the credit for creating Pro-Bending, you'd have the best seats in the house, and you'd take about fifty percent or more of the profit…"

"Fifty percent?!" asked Sokka, amazed

"Fifty percent?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow "Make it seventy-five"

"SEVENTY-FIVE?!" asked Sokka, in shock

"Do we have ourselves a deal?" asked the man, stretching out his hand "Whichever benefit you wish to have, you'll get!"

Azula grinned, thinking that it wasn't such a bad idea after all… She took the man's chubby hand and smirked as she said

"Deal"

_YEAH, THIS WAS LOOOOOONG! But the story is pretty much done by now xD wait for the Epilogue! ^^ Thanks for sticking with this crazy Pro-Bending idea for all these chapters, I hope you enjoyed it! Follow me if you wish to read the prequel for this story when I finally get to post it! ^^ well, I'll probably say all of this again later .w. so yeah, I hope you liked it! ^^_


	19. Epilogue: Twenty-Three Years Later

Republic City's lights were beautiful at night. If you were to boast about seeing the city in its entire splendor, you'd be talking about seeing it at night, right after a light coating of snow covered the buildings and streets. People roamed the metropolis all day long, running up and down, all trying to solve their matters as quickly as they could, because for some reason, they always were in a hurry.

But there was a particular person who didn't bother running anywhere; he was far more stylish, and so was his family. And said person, along with said family, were currently riding atop a flying bison, their course set towards one of the most grand buildings in the city: The Pro-Bending Arena

"Dad, why do we have to go?" whined a tan teenager with brown and messy hair, staring down at the water they were flying above of "We've seen Kya's Pro-Bending matches for the entire season! I'm sick of watching benders! Let's go see a real fist-fight on the streets!"

"Bumi, you have to support your sister" his mother scolded him "It's what this family does, and it's what we'll always do: support each other"

"Bleh, family nonsense is boring" said Bumi "I'm hungry!"

"You just ate before we left!" said his younger brother, who was about thirteen years old

"Stop being so nosy, Tenzin, no one was talking to you" said Bumi, scratching his head

"Be nice to your brother, Bumi" said Aang, sitting on Appa's neck while steering him

"But it's true! I was talking to Appa!" said Bumi, patting the gentle beast's right flank

Katara sighed and shook her head. It was really tiresome dealing with so many kids at once. Bumi was always rebellious and silly, pretending not to care at all about his family; Kya was a very talented waterbender, but despite her calm and cheerful personality, she was a magnet for trouble at the tender age of seventeen; she was only two years older than the only non-bender of the family. Leading a family like this one wasn't easy for either her or Aang, but they loved their children and they couldn't have asked for a better life than the ones they were leading right now.

"Appa is hungry too" said Aang, smiling "But he's not complaining about it, Bumi"

"That's just a lot of random jibber-jabber, Dad" said Bumi, letting himself fall horizontally on the saddle.

"You're incurable" said Tenzin, shaking his head. He had always shaved his hair, just as his father used to do it, but lately he'd been shaving even more often, in hopes that his father would finally deem him worthy of his arrow tattoos one of these days.

The bison landed after about ten minutes of flight, and Bumi ran off as soon as he got off the saddle

"I'm going to find some food!" he yelled, to his parents' dismay

"Oh, Bumi!" yelled Katara, exasperated as she ran after him, but he outran her easily "Make sure to be back in ten minutes, okay?!"

"Sure, Mrs. Avatar!" yelled the boy, making her sigh in irritation

"He's spent too much time with his aunt… those silly nicknames should get old at some point, shouldn't they?"

"Relax, Katara" said Aang, laughing as he surrounded her shoulders with an arm "Let's just wait for him inside, I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble"

"You're too kind-hearted, Aang" muttered Katara "You know Bumi NEVER stays out of trouble"

"I agree with Mother" said Tenzin, folding his arms "You can't trust someone as unpredictable as my brother"

"But you surely can try, can't you?" said Aang "Cut him some slack, he might not disappoint you this time"

"Avatar intuition" said Tenzin, shaking his head "The least reliable source of information"

"Do I have to ask you to cut ME some slack?" asked Aang, impressed

"Don't worry, Aang" said Katara, smiling as she patted Tenzin on the shoulder "Our little baby is just on the verge of puberty! You have to expect this sort of cruel remarks from him!"

"Oh, that's right…" said Aang, frowning

"HEY!" said Tenzin, getting mad "I'm not going through any weird stage of rebellion like my brother and sister did!"

"Oh, you are, you just don't notice it since you've always been so cranky and serious!" said Katara, grinning as Aang ensured Appa would be perfectly okay on the spot they'd landed on

"Stay put, buddy" he said, smiling as he patted his muzzle "We'll be back soon, don't worry!"

Appa growled and Aang waved goodbye, returning to his family. The three of them walked inside the Arena together, amongst a crowd of several people who acknowledged and admired the Avatar as he journeyed towards his seat with his wife and son.

"Say, Father…" muttered Tenzin, already used to all this attention "Do you think we could ride Oogie here one of these days instead of Appa?"

"I think Oogie is still too young to carry all of us, dear" said Katara, smiling

"Maybe you can ride Oogie while the rest of us travel on Appa" said Aang, patting his son on the shoulder

"Yes, that sounds about right" he said, nodding enthusiastically.

The stands were half full, since the battle wasn't bound to begin just yet; most the people were outside, where they'd admired Aang, Katara and Tenzin as they entered. Pro-Bending was the greatest pastime for the people in Republic City, and many highly ranked officials and celebrities were often spotted attending the games; of course, the lobby was the best place to watch them come and go, which was the reason why most people were still there; they'd always take their seats about ten minutes before the fight began.

Aang, Katara and Tenzin walked all the way to their particular seats, the ones they had reserved for their personal use. Toph and Zuko used to seat nearby as well, but neither of them or their families were here yet.

"You think they're getting ready?" asked Tenzin nervously, looking towards the dressing room to the red side of the stage.

"You can calm down already, Tenzin" said Aang "You know Kya will be fine… and so will Lin" he added, with a little craftiness

"I… I wasn't thinking about her!" said Tenzin, blushing at the thought of his all-time crush

"About which of the two girls I mentioned?" asked Aang, raising an eyebrow

"He wasn't thinking about Kya, if you're to judge by the way he's blushing" teased Katara, to Tenzin's exasperation

"You two are the most evil parents in the world!" yelled Tenzin, losing his temper as he blushed even more

"What could possibly make you say that? We're perfectly nice parents!" said Aang, hugging his son

"L-leave me alone, Father! Y-you're embarrassing me!" he whined

"It's not like there's anyone to be embarrassed in front of!" said Aang, laughing

"Look! The Fire Lord's coming!" said Tenzin, pointing at Zuko, who was approaching them with his wife, Mai "Now you're really going to embarrass me, so let me go!"

"Aw, why should I? I love you so much, Tenzin!" yelled Aang, hugging his son so tightly he even lifted him from his seat

"D-DAD, YOU'RE KILLING ME!" yelled the boy, pushing away from his father

"Well, that's a first" said Zuko, as he finally got to his seat "I'd never heard Tenzin call you 'dad'. What are you doing to him?"

"I'm showing my love for him!" said Aang, grinning "Wanna join? Group hugs are fun! I haven't had one in so long…"

"N-no, thank you" said Zuko, smiling with discomfort

"It's been a while, Zuko, Mai" said Katara, smiling "How are you both?"

"Very well, Katara, thank you" said Mai, nodding courteously at her. After all these years, Mai hadn't changed much; she was still as indifferent and cold as ever.

"Is Honora ready for the battle?" asked Katara

"She's spent the whole afternoon training on the gym" said Zuko, grinning "I'm sure she'll do just great"

"Ah, it's amazing, isn't it?" said Aang, finally letting go of Tenzin "Our kids, fighting the very same sport we founded…"

"We founded it alright, but we didn't create it" said Zuko, smiling

"The creators are all the way over there, aren't they?" said Mai, looking at the opposite side of the ring, where two special seats were always saved up for the two creators of Pro-Bending. No one else had ever sat on those red velvet couches other than them.

"There's only one of them now, though" said Katara, catching a glimpse of her sister-in-law as she sat on her couch, looking as high-and-mighty as ever

"Your talk about Pro-Bending is getting old" muttered Tenzin "Actually; Pro-Bending isn't much fun at all… why can't an airbender fight in it too?"

"Well, there's a reason for that…" started Aang, but Tenzin raised a hand to stop him

"No, thanks. I've heard your explanation a million times over and a million times again. I do appreciate most your anecdotes, father, but I've had it with all what's related to Pro-Bending"

"You're a spoilsport, kid" said Aang, shaking his head "Bumi doesn't mind hearing my stories over and over again!"

"Because his brain is the size of a nut and he can't remember them after five minutes…" muttered Tenzin under his breath

"I heard that, young man" scolded him Katara, and Tenzin lowered his head in slight shame

"Speaking of Bumi… where is he?" asked Zuko, raising an eyebrow

"He said he'd go get food" said Aang "You know what he's like"

"Yes, we know what he's like" said Mai, with a grimace

"Are you sure he'll be okay?" asked Zuko

"I told everyone to just trust him" said Aang "He's a grown boy, we can't keep tabs on him forever!"

"Well, if you won't keep tabs on him, I guess I'll have to do it" said another voice, belonging to someone who had walked up to them without them noticing

Fully clad in her black police suit, Toph was dragging a certain misbehaving fifteen-year-old all the way back to his parents. She pushed Bumi at Aang and folded her arms

"You should keep an eye on that crazy brat. He was trying to pull a scam on some clumsy store owner to nick away some food"

"You were WHAT?!" asked Katara, staring at her son in horror

"Didn't I say you couldn't trust him…?" muttered Tenzin "I said Avatar Intuition wasn't working this time…"

"I had no money to buy it properly!" said the boy, laughing happily

"Bumi… if you keep doing those things, Toph will throw you in jail!" said Aang, making his son sit at his other side "You don't want that, do you?"

"Oh, please, dad" said Bumi "I'd escape prison in a heartbeat!"

"Wanna bet?" growled Toph, cracking her knuckles

"No, no, no! He doesn't want to do anything!" said Aang, clasping a hand on his son's mouth before he said something he'd probably regret later

"I'm so sorry, Toph" said Katara "We'll do our best to keep him in check…"

"You'd better" said Toph, dropping on her seat right next to Mai "The big battle's due any minute now, huh? It's amazing our spawns made it all the way to the finals, isn't it?"

"The rest of the teams were really dumb this year!" said Bumi "They nearly cleared every battle with a knockout!"

"Indeed… but now they're against the other greatest team there is" said Zuko "I hope they can stand against them…"

"Believe in our daughters!" said Aang, grinning "They can pull it off, you know it!"

"Or so you'd hope!" said the latest newcomer, a very elegant lady with long, braided hair. She smiled at the entire group and her husband greeted them too from behind her "I don't think our Seikatsu will let you get away with victory so easily!"

"That's what you'd like to think, isn't it?" said Toph, smirking

"Good to see you, Ty Lee, Haru!" said Aang, as the other two took their seats

"I can't wait for this to get started!" said Ty Lee, staring down at the ring in excitement.

In the dressing room, far from where the families of most the benders where, three young teenagers were practicing their stances for the last time this season

"Come on, we've been at it for ages!" whined Kya, dropping on the couch that was standing on the center of the dressing room right after executing a waterbending movement for the umpteenth time "Can't you both just leave the fate of this match in the hands of destiny by now…?"

"A little more practice never hurt anyone" said Lin, her eyes closed as she remembered her stances. She struck a couple of punches directly into the air with swift and decisive movements, just as a girl with long, black hair brought forth a fistful of fire.

"According to what I know, that's not true" said Kya "My mom said dad practiced way too much once, he didn't rest at all for a while, and he almost messed up an entire operation because of that"

"Well, you rest too much, Kya" said Honora, opening her hand and making the fire vanish "You're too calm and relaxed with everything! This is a very serious match; it's the Pro-Bending final! You can't take it so easily!"

"How should I take it, then?" asked Kya, raising an eyebrow "You two are too anxious. Cut it out and let me be" she said, smiling as she let herself lie down on the couch.

Lin and Honora exchanged a look of irritation. Lin was barely thirteen, while Honora was the same age as Kya, but clearly they understood each other much better than they would ever understand Kya. The waterbender was a free soul; she felt no obligations to do anything other than to spend her time enjoying all the happenings around her.

"You think the guys all the way to the blue room are ready?" asked Honora, staring across the Arena. Nowadays, they just resorted to telling the dressing rooms apart by the color of the side in which they were at.

"Who knows?" said Lin "I bet your cousins are all fired up, though. Or watered up, it works whichever way"

"You still can't tell them apart off the ring, can you, Lin?" asked Kya, smiling

"They're too confusing" muttered Lin "The one with gold eyes is a waterbender, the one with the blue eyes is a firebender… Their names confuse me, and I that's the only difference I can see between them"

"They're different alright…" said Kya "You just gotta sense it with more than just your senses, get it?"

"No" grunted Lin "You're too weird, Kya"

"I'm just unique!" said the girl cheerfully, smiling at nobody in particular.

On another side of the Arena, opposite to where the Avatar and company were sitting at, a very beautiful but powerful woman sat staring at the stage, her intelligent amber eyes scanning the entire place quickly. With all the people who'd attend the finals, she was bound to earn several tons of money once again… She smirked slightly as she wondered what she would do with it when the door behind her opened up and a tall man entered the room

"Finally!" said Sokka, dropping on the couch next to her "I thought that Council Meeting would never end!"

"Why did it drag on for so long?" asked Azula

"Oh, just the same old things about making some new laws and rules to make sure the citizens will be safe and sound…" said Sokka, shrugging "They were talking about some rules to prohibit bending inside stores and such, so that rogue benders have no choice but to pay up properly or else get beaten up by metalbenders"

"Sounds like you'll be giving Chief Bandit even more duties" said Azula, smirking "She'll try to kill you for that"

"And you'll try to stop her from getting back at me, won't you?" asked Sokka, smiling innocently at her

"Why should I? You got into the mess, you can get yourself out" she said cruelly, and Sokka made a very dramatic gesture, as if she had shattered his heart into a thousand pieces

"How can you be so mean?! After all we've been through…!"

"It's probably because of what we've been through, Sokka" she said, smirking again "You haven't been the calm and uneventful husband you promised you'd be"

"Oh, come on, if you're talking about what happened when we went to find Space Sword…"

"Maybe I'm referring to your grand discovery of the Bison's nest" she said "The only good thing that came from it was that the Avatar actually bothered looking for the real nest"

"Y-you won't ever let me hear the end of it, will you…?" said Sokka, smiling guiltily

"No, I don't think I will" said Azula, smirking back. At some point, the usual cunning in her features vanished, leaving a much milder smile on her face, the kind of smiles she had reserved only for him without even knowing it

Suddenly, most of the lights on the stage turned off, and only one was switched back on. The single light was focused on the announcer as he showed up in the central circle of the stage, making most of the people on the stands focus on the ring with excitement.

"Seems like this is it, huh?" said Sokka, gulping as the man began his introduction of both teams

"May the best of the next generation win, huh?" said Azula, smirking "I'm sure Zyran and Kerrion can beat the future Fire Lord with ease"

"With luck, they will…" said Sokka, gulping again.

The two platforms began moving, approaching the contestants to the ring. Honora stood on the middle of her group, Lin to her right and Kya to her left, and they wore a red uniform, matching the side of the stage they'd fight on. Their opponents, who were clad with the blue uniform, were comprised of a young man with long brown hair and tan skin who wore a green belt, proof of the earthbending skills he'd inherited from his father. Next to him, a tall teenager with black hair and blue eyes wore the red garments of a fire bender, and he smirked at his cousin as the platforms moved closer and closer. His twin brother was next to him; the only distinct differences between them were his amber eyes, just like his mother's, and the blue belt that showed he was a waterbender. Genetics had played one of its unexpected tricks and, to everyone's surprise, the first waterbender ever to be born in one of the branches of the Royal Family had been this young man.

The two teams finally arrived at the ring and they exchanged looks of determination as they took their stances, each bender in front of his equal. Lin stared firmly at Seikatsu, who smiled kindly at her. Kya was the one beaming at Kerrion, who didn't seem particularly enthusiastic as he sighed at his cousin's happy-go-lucky attitude. Honora frowned at Zyran, who smirked at her. Their parents' rivalry had continued on down the next generation, and they had each taken the role of their progenitor with ease.

"I hope Daddy will forgive you when you prove you're no match against me" said Zyran

"You're going down, Zyran… believe me, you are" growled Honora, raising her arms

The referee looked at the combatants from his particular platform and the bell signaling the beginning of the match strummed its song and the benders readied themselves for the battle of their lives…

_Okay, NOW it's over .w. THANKS FOR FOLLOWING THIS FIC! ^^ It was very fun to write, and it's the first fic I've even managed to finish! I really felt I had to pour myself out with this one, and I will with the next one too w Look forward to it if you will! Thanks for the support! And of course, thanks to all the reviewers too! Without your comments, I wouldn't have felt much motivation to continue at all! Thanks again, and I hope you'll read more of my work someday! ^^_


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